Some more news from Khao Lak

"Corpses were lined up along roads and laid out on debris-strewn beaches in the resort of Ban Khao Lak in Phang Nga as rescue workers cleared the area a day after the killer tsunami crashed onto it on Sunday. The bodies of dead Westerners, Asians and Thais - many with broken necks, arms and legs - were discovered under the debris of three collapsed buildings. Rescue teams had to use heavy construction drills to extract some of the corpses from under the rubble. Felled trees, smashed vehicles and toppled buildings littered the ground everywhere. A three-kilometre stretch of beachside road lay buried under mud. Houses and bungalows had been swept out to sea.

After inspecting the area, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said some 700 people were feared dead here alone. The death toll across the six southern provinces ravaged by the tidal waves may mount to more than 1,000, he added.

A large number of people died in Khao Lak as the waves demolished several crowded hotels. The search for the missing and the removal of corpses remained fraught with difficulty as telecommunication links and transportation routes had suffered considerable damage. The nationalities of numerous dead people remain unknown because officials have found no identification documents on them."

"The resort is gone, all washed away except the concrete building that is now an empty shell. At that date they had about 300 people in the hotel, tourists and staff. When I called them this morning, they were at 60 registered as survivors. 240 still missing, with limited chances now to find them alive. 20% survivors. If it was the same everywhere in Khao Lak, the toll will rise."

Natural disasters touch everyone... here are some real stories

It's almost impossible to imagine the devastation caused by the Asian Tsunami and how it can touch so many people in so many different ways. I just want to express my sympathy to all of the families that have been deeply affected by this tragedy. My friend and lodger, Bright-Sam, comes from the Tamil Nadu region and many of his friends and family are there. Go to his blog to find a link to some "real" stories from local people helping the relief & rescue efforts.

I can't believe that I was diving in the Andaman sea less than 10 months ago. I was staying in an area called Khao Lak. Not many people in the UK, until this week, knew of Khao Lak. We stayed in bungalows on the beach and I am sure that these would have been devastated. I can only hope that the loss is not total, but fear that many of the beautiful people I met whilst on holiday may have been killed.

Reuters has reported that 800 bodies have been recovered from the beach

Channel News Asia has similar reports. I can't find any more specific news...






My thoughts are with them all right now.