Biggest Relief Effort Underway

[george]

Biggest relief effort underway

Humanitarian relief operation beginning Tuesday would become the biggest relief effort the world has ever seen along Asia's monster earthquaked shores as the death toll was predicted to hit 45,000 and thousands were missing and millons homeless.

With many billions of dollars of damage, the disaster could be the costliest in history as well. More than 12,000 people died in Sri Lanka, nearly 5,000 in Indonesia, and 4,000 in India. The International Red Cross said it was concerned that waterborne diseases like malaria and cholera could add to the toll and as hopes faded for many thousands more still missing and fears grew that disease could unleash more tragedy.

In Thailand, the government offered free flights for thousands of foreign tourists desperate to leave the southern areas ravaged by the tsunami. Hundreds of rescue ships, helicopters and planes were mobilised to evacuate tourists from wrecked resorts and airlift stricken victims to hospitals already overflowing with the injured and corpses.

--The Nation 2004-12-28