As of 16:35 GST 3 January 2005, Sri Lankan authorities report 30,196 confirmed deaths [1] http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4143459.stm#map . Tamil Tiger representatives report a further 18,481 death in areas under their control[2] http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/COL141794.htm , making a total of more than 48,677 dead to date in Sri Lanka after the island was hit by tsunamis resulting from the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake on December 26, 2004. Many of the dead were children and the elderly. The south and east coasts were worst hit. One and a half million people have been displaced from their homes. The death toll continues to rise as the threat of infectious diseases breaking out has turned into a fact, with doctors confirming first cases of cholera.

About 1,200 dead were counted at Batticaloa in the east. At Trincomalee in the northeast, where the tsunami reached more than 2 km (1.25 mi) inland, 800 were reported dead. In neighboring Amparai district alone, more than 5,000 dead. The naval base at Trincomalee is reported to be submerged. About 1000 more dead were counted in Mullaitivu and Vadamaradchi East [3] http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=13744 . A train, the "Sea Queen", moving between Colombo and Galle, with 1,600 passengers was struck by a tsunami, killing all but 300 on board.

Across the island collections are being taken for those who have lost everything, vans with PA systems driving around calling on people to give whatever they can. Even in the poorest, most remote areas people flock to the roadside to hand over money, clothes, bottles of water and bags of rice and lentils.

Apart from homes, many hotels were also reported to have been damaged. Hotels along the south coast were full of both foreign tourists and Sri Lankans making use of the long Christmas weekend. Twenty thousand soldiers were deployed in government-controlled areas to assist in relief operations and maintain law and order after sporadic looting. Curfews had been imposed in some areas to curb looting. Chinese light antipersonnel mines of type T-72A, left after the two-decade civil war, are feared to have been washed up and spread by the surge of water. The Norwegian Peoples' Aid Organization http://ips.idium.no/folkehjelp.no/?template=english;lang=eng is currently assembling a team of mine sweepers to assess the situation.

It has been noted that in the Yala National Park, many animals seem to have moved to higher regions in order to escape the disaster. It is unclear how they detected the coming disaster, although a sixth sense, perhaps the ability to hear the infrasound rumble of the tremors or approaching tsunami, was mentioned in reports. Another possible reason is that many animals can run faster than people, enabling them to outrun the tsunami.

The test match ground at Galle, where international cricket is played, has been devastated.

Aftermath

The main highway in the south of Sri Lanka runs along the coast and was closed in the aftermath of the tsunami, delaying relief supplies. A huge initial effort to deliver supplies was made by large numbers of private individuals filling their own vans and pickup trucks with food, clothing and bottled water and driving to affected areas.

In Sri Lanka the first reports of measles and diarrhoea reached authorities, renewing fears of a deadly epidemic. However, relief operations based in the capital Colombo are well underway.

On the morning of Thursday the 30th, more people were wounded when people fled tsunami affected areas, after the Indian government erroneously warned of another possible tsunami.

The science fiction author and scuba diver Sir Arthur C Clarke, who lives in Colombo on Sri Lanka, has issued a statement saying that Sri Lanka "lacks the resources and capacity to cope with the aftermath". Clarke reported that his family and staff were safe, "even though some are badly shaken and relate harrowing first hand accounts of what happened", and that his diving school "Underwater Safaris" at Hikkaduwa had been destroyed: see this link http://www.clarkefoundation.org/ .

Sri Lanka's most popular sport is cricket, and the Australian, Bangladeshi, English and South African cricket teams have already announced that they are making donations to the humanitarian effort in Sri Lanka and other Asian countries. The Indian cricket team has pledged funds to the humanitarian effort in southern India. The cricketing world has already announced that a one-day match will be played to raise further funds. [4] http://uk.cricinfo.com/link_to_database/ARCHIVE/CRICKET_NEWS/2004/DEC/144647_WCI
_31DEC2004.html

A three-ship fleet carrying 2000 Marines out of Diego Garcia was sent to Sri Lanka. The Marines were bound for Iraq to assist in the January elections, but the fleet includes a dozen heavy-lift helicopters and surgical hospitals, both badly needed in Sri Lanka.

On Sri Lanka the rescue was impeded by heavy monsoon rain and resulting washed-out or soaked roads and freshwater flooding. In most of India the winter northeast monsoon is dry, but in Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu it blows from Burma across the Bay of Bengal picking up water from the sea.

External links

• Video from Sri lanka beach hotel http://snipurl.com/bnd2 (snipurl.com)
• Aftermath of the 2004-12-26 Tsunami in Sri Lanka http://blog.ceneus.com/aftermath_12_26_tsunami_sri_lanka.html
• Kalutara, Sri Lanka http://www.digitalglobe.com/images/qb/srilanka_kalutara_flood_dec26_2004_dg.jpg Quickbird satellite image, DigitalGlobe Inc., 2004-12-26
• How to help Sri Lanka http://www.help-srilanka.info A collaboration tool for all volunteer organizations who want to help Sri Lanka Recover from the Disaster
• Shock and loss in Sri Lanka http://edition.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/asiapcf/12/28/srilanka.sussman/index.html , CNN, 28 December 2004

Blogs

• ceneus.blog http://blog.ceneus.com - Blogging a Tragedy, Sri Lanka
• This Way Please's Extra Extra http://www.thiswayplease.com/extra.html out of Jaffna, Sri Lanka