More than 23,000 people were killed by a tsunami triggered by a 9-magnitude earthquake in southern Asia.
These figures are preliminary and in some cases rough estimates by local officials:
In addition, about 1300 people are missing in India's Andhra Pradesh.
QUOTES:
Indian vegetable hawker N. Arasu: "We are too scared to sleep. What if the sea rises again and takes us away in our sleep?"
American tourist Moira Lee, 28: "Our paradise turned into hell ... We saw a massive wave coming toward us and our waitress freaked out. She told us to run for our lives. So we just turned and ran for about a mile up the hill."
Boree Carlsson, Swedish hotel worker on Thailand's Phuket island: "As I was standing there, a car actually floated into the lobby and overturned because the current was so strong."
Sri Lankan hospital official: "We have got hundreds of dead that we have dealt with ... "I don't know what to do."
Marine colonel Buyung Lelana, Indonesia: "It smells so bad, fishy. The human bodies are mixed in with dead animals like dogs, fish, cats and goats,"
Sri Lanka President Chandrika Kumaratunga: "We are not well equipped to deal with a disaster of this magnitude because we have never known a disaster like this."
Narasamma, Indian fisherman's wife: "I have been waiting for my husband and brother since yesterday. Around 40 people from my village have not come back from the sea. I am not sure they will come back as I can see wrecked boats floating in the water."
Mustofa, mayor in Sumatra: "We are making preparations for the funerals. Officials are being asked to look for coffins. I am hoping there are still enough coffins available."
The waitress helped save their lives.
What an awesome calamity
Incredible. It's just so massive that it's hard to comprehend.
Prayers going up for all affected by this horrid disaster.
Thanks for the updated news.
I finally spoke with my fiancee's sister last night. We were in Phuket and Phi Phi island 4 weeks ago visiting her.
The optical shop she manages on Patong Beach was closed for the weekend because of Christmas. She had planned to go to the beach that morning but decided to go back to bed when she woke up. (Very lucky for her). When she heard the news she rushed to the beach and saw cars stacked atop each other and destruction everywhere. Her optical shop was in ruins--she would have been injured or killed if she were working in the shop that day.
Since she is from the Philippines and speaks fluent english, she went to the hospital to volunteer to translate for the western tourists. She said there were so many wounded and so much blood, it was like a war zone. She saw one room stacked with dead bodies, including many children (mostly children of tourists). When she saw that, she broke down crying and had to leave the hospital. She said there were lots of injuries and deaths on the roads as people fled. She decided to walk instead of risk an accident on her motor scooter. She spent the night in the cold shivering on a hill because they were warned bigger waves might be coming inland.
I told her the media was reporting 500 dead in Thailand. She said the final numbers would be MUCH higher and that most of the dead and wounded would be Europeans, Australians, and Americans.
I'm still stunned at what happened---especially since I almost took my vacation over Christmas instead Thanksgiving. I only chose to travel in November because Cathay Pacific ran a special promotion to Thailand at that time.
My heart goes out to the families of the dead and wounded and to the local people who depended on the tourist industry for their livelihood. It will probably be years before Phuket rebounds, if ever.
Check in with us when you can, let us know you're safe. My prayers are with you
How very sad, Prayers for all.
American tourist Moira Lee, 28: "Our paradise turned into hell ... We saw a massive wave coming toward us and our waitress freaked out. She told us to run for our lives. So we just turned and ran for about a mile up the hill."
I wonder if they returned to find the waitress to give her a nice tip?