The Thai government reports 5,246 [1] http://www.disaster.go.th/news01/12_47/news_after_shock_34.pdf confirmed deaths, 8,457 [2] http://www.disaster.go.th/news01/12_47/news_after_shock_34.pdf injuries and 4,499 [3] http://www.disaster.go.th/news01/12_47/news_after_shock_34.pdf missing after the country was hit by a tsunami caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake on December 26, 2004. The Thai authorities estimate 8,000 are likely to have died. The popular tourist resort of Phuket was badly hit. The smaller but increasingly popular resort area of Khao Lak some 80 km north of Phuket was hit far worse with 3950 confirmed deaths, while the total amount of dead in Khao Lak may exceed 4,500. The severity of the situation in Khao Lak is probably explained by the fact, that unlike the high-rising city of Phuket, the village of Khao Lak only had low built bungalows instead of high-rise concrete hotels. Khao Lak also has an extensive area of flatland only a few metres above the sea level, on which most bungalows were situated. Hundreds of holiday bungalows on the Phi Phi Islands were washed out to sea. Tuk-tuk drivers were quick to offer assistance, driving victims to hospital and higher ground and away from the surging waters. Bhumi Jensen, grandson of HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej, was among those killed.
| Official figures as at 7 January 2005 |
| Province |
Thai deaths |
Foreign deaths |
Total deaths |
Thai injured |
Foreign injured |
Total injured |
Missing |
|
Krabi
|
288 |
188 |
686 |
808 |
568 |
1,376 |
890 |
|
Phang Nga
|
1,950 |
2,213 |
4,163 |
4,344 |
1,253 |
5,597 |
2,113 |
|
Phuket
|
154 |
105 |
262 |
591 |
520 |
1,111 |
700 |
|
Ranong
|
167 |
2 |
169 |
215 |
31 |
246 |
12 |
|
Satun
|
6 |
0 |
6 |
15 |
0 |
15 |
0 |
|
Trang
|
3 |
2 |
5 |
92 |
20 |
112 |
1 |
| Total |
2,568 |
2,510 |
5,291 |
6,065 |
2,392 |
8,457 |
}
Source: Bangkok Post. The "total deaths" and "total injured" categories include dead and injured persons whose nationality is not given or has not been established. The number of "foreign injured" has been reduced by evacuations of foreign nationals. Thai sources acknowledge that the great majority of those listed as "missing" are in fact dead, and that a large majority of these are foreigners.
External links
- Video from Patong beach hotel http://snipurl.com/bnd0 (snipurl.com)
- Photos out at sea from Phuket as it happened http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rother-sun.com%2FErfahr
ungsberichte.htm&langpair=de%7Cen&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&prev=%2Flanguage_tools
- Photos after the destruction of Koh Phi Phi Island http://www.digitalvoodoo.de/blog/archives/asien/phi-phi-island-verwuestet.php
- Thailand-Photos.net: Tsunami photos from Patong beach few hours after the disaster http://www.thailand-photos.net/gallery/showgallery.php/cat/523
- Photo sequence of tsunami flooding in Phuket (Thailand) resort. http://www.pbase.com/issels/phuket_tsunami&page=all
- Photos from Phuket at the time of the disaster http://www.pbase.com/issels/root
- An update of Beaches around Phuket Jan 2nd 2005 http://www.dulwich.ac.th/tsunami-letter2.asp
|
Last updated: 02-20-2005 07:16:12
Last updated: 05-06-2005 01:27:49
