Foreigners Take Brunt Of Deaths

[george]

Foreigners take brunt of deaths

The number of foreigners dead, injured and missing after a powerful tsunami lashed southern resort beaches was more than twice as many as local residents keeping many foreign embassies busy helping their countrymen.

Foreign embassies in Bangkok have put all their efforts into helping and searching for their citizens after receiving hundreds of calls. Many of them have set up special emergency centres on Phuket to expedite repatriation of their citizens. Most embassies have located just a fraction of their citizens and most of them are still reported as missing.

“The latest figure we have is more than 990 confirmed deaths. Of these, some 200 were Thais and the rest were foreigners,” said Sutham Saengprathum, deputy interior minister. The death toll is expected to increase and the total number could possibly go beyond 2000, he said.

Swedes are among the biggest foreign casualties from the killer wave, with 1,500 missing vacationers, tour operators said. So far rescue teams have found nine dead Swedes.

Yesterday about 40 Swedish tourists arrived in Bangkok at the Swedish Embassy, which is open 24 hours a day. They were provided with assistance. Some were sent to guesthouses, and the injured to hospitals.

Up to eight Filipinos are likely died at resort beaches after the tsunami struck on Sunday, Agence France-Presse reported, quoting the Philippines foreign department. At least five other Filipinos were being treated in southern hospitals, it said.

A Brazilian diplomat and her 10-year-old son were among those killed on Phi Phi island, the Brazilian embassy in Bangkok said.

Embassy officials said they identified the bodies of the mission's first secretary, Lys Amayo de Benedek D'Avola, and her son, Jean Luca.

The diplomat’s Italian husband was injured in the massive flooding, but their 20-year-old daughter, Thais, was unharmed. She was unharmed because she did not join her family on the beach but opted to stay in their hotel, according to Agence France-Presse.

Seven American citizens are confirmed dead and hundreds are still listed as missing, according to the US Embassy.

The US Embassy has sent its staff to provide assistance in Phuket and Don Muang airport.

“We are trying to issue new passports and repatriate them back to the US. Most of the tourists arriving at the embassy today have little money and their passports have been washed away by the waves,” an embassy official said.

Most US survivors requested repatriation as soon as possible. The embassy has set up a 24-hour assistance hotline with more than 100 extension numbers.

An official at the Royal Dutch Embassy in Bangkok said the embassy was very busy from people calling to ask how they could find relatives and friends. The embassy could not confirm the number of injured or missing.

Germany’s embassy said there were 600 people reported missing. The embassy has so far found more than 800 Germans.

Irina Borisyuk, spokeswoman for the Russian Embassy, said 300 Russians are safe. But, 1,000 Russians were reported to be in the area when the tsunami struck.

The embassy is now searching for a boy who was reported missing by his 33-year-old Russian mother in Phuket, she said.

The Austrian Embassy reported three citizens killed and that several hundreds were still missing. The embassy said it was trying its best assist victims and provide information to relatives calling from overseas.

“Most tourists are traumatised and devastated by the incident. Most citizens are trying to contact their relatives at home. The embassy is issuing emergency documents for them to travel back home,” said an embassy officer.

The British Embassy ceased issuing visas to free up staff to handle the crisis.

--The Nation 2004-12-29

[Lioneric]

I saw in TV that Ocean Shopping in Patong beach put a banner saying "Final Sale".