Search continues for missing NZers
MFAT concerned for the 113 New Zealanders unaccounted, who are thought to have been in areas affected by tsunami.
29 December 2004
Foreign Affairs staff are still trying to find New Zealanders still unaccounted-for in tsunami-affected areas of Thailand.
Foreign Affairs Minister Phil Goff says 490 New Zealanders are known to have been in Thailand on Boxing Day.
Of those, he says eleven are in hospital, but the greatest concern is for the 113 people unaccounted, who are thought to have been in the areas affected by the tsunami.
Mr Goff says there are a further 192 New Zealanders unaccounted for elsewhere in Thailand, and 172 who have been found safe and well.
One New Zealander, however, slept through the tsunami.
James Fox has been living in Phuket for the past four years.
He did not notice the tragedy unfolding around him until he received a call from worried relatives in New Zealand.
He was asleep in his home, which is on elevated ground, when the wave hit.
Brother-in-law Richard Maui says James describes the aftermath in Phuket as an absolute tragedy, with people wandering about in a daze.
Mr Fox says he will stay in Phuket for now.
Meanwhile eight Australians have now been confirmed dead in the Asian tsunami, though that number is expected to rise.
Families have been told to brace themselves for more deaths as the search continues for 10 Australians still missing.
It is Australia's worst offshore disaster since the Bali bombings two years ago.
A special flight from Australia is heading to Thailand to help stranded Aussies return home.
A Virgin Blue flight, donated by the company, flew out of Canberra last night with extra consular staff on board.
The flight will return today with about 170 Australians from Phuket.
The force nine earthquake west of the Indonesian island of Sumatra and the ensuing tidal waves has created the worst disaster in living memory - and aid agencies around the world are scrambling to respond.
The confirmed death toll is now close to 60,000 and officials are warning the figure is likely to rise steeply.
Mass funerals of thousands of tsunami victims are underway in Sri Lanka, where the death toll from the weekend's devastation has surged to 17,640.
Scores more decomposed corpses have been pulled from washed out trains, cars and smashed buildings as the number of dead keeps on rising.
Mortuaries have no refrigeration facilities to preserve the bodies which are rapidly piling up.
More than 20,000 people are reported to have been injured.
Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Kumaratunga has declared December 31 as a day of national mourning.
Aid agencies are struggling to cope with the scale of the disaster and the International Red Cross says it may have to treble its appeal for funds.
The United States has pledged a further US$20 million on top of the $15 million already announced by Washington.
Secretary of State Colin Powell earlier insisted earlier that the United States has not been "stingy" in its response to the Asian tsunami disaster, following criticism by a top UN official, though he admits much more international aid will have to be given.
The United Nations has been allowed to take emergency aid to an Indonesian province, after initially being barred.
The UN fears more than 25,000 people have been killed in Aceh following the earthquake and tsunami.
The province sits on the northern tip of Indonesia's Sumatra Island, where separatist rebellion has simmered since 1976.
Foreign Aid workers were barred from Aceh after the disaster struck, on security grounds.
Indonesia Human Rights Committee spokeswoman Maire Leadbeater says aid is vital for the province as the people there were already vulnerable.
Meanwhile, New Zealander Alan Bradbury is currently based in Dehli as acting head of a regional delegation for the Red Cross.
He says food, water and shelter are the current needs for survivors in Sri Lanka and India.
Alan Bradbury says medical needs are also a major issue, with many hospitals suffering damage.
New Zealanders can make automatic $20 donations to the Red Cross appeal by calling 0900 31 100.
Australia is to push for the creation of an Indian Ocean tsunami warning system, in a bid to avoid a repeat of this week's disaster.
Foreign Minister Alexander Downer and Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon are backing the idea of a warning system similar to the one operating in the Pacific.
But there are concerns countries such as Indonesia and Sri Lanka may not be able to buy the warning buoys, which cost $320,000 each.
© 2010 NZCity, IRN
