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The Emperor Fabulous
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Apolyton's Resident Actor-in-Training
Aug 1999
time: 00:17
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UP TO 400,000 COULD BE DEAD IN INDONESIA
quote:
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 30 (Bernama) -- The death toll in Acheh, the region worst hit by last Sunday's tsunami, may exceed 400,000 as many affected areas could still not be reached for search and rescue operations, Indonesia's Ambassador to Malaysia Drs H. Rusdihardjo said Thursday.
He said the estimate was based on air surveillance by Indonesian authorities who found no signs of life in places like Meulaboh, Pulau Simeulue and Tapak Tuan while several islands off the west coast of Sumatera had "disappeared".
He said the latest death toll of more than 40,000 in Acheh and northern Sumatera did not take into account the figures from the other areas, especially in the west of the region.
"Aerial surveillance found the town of Meulaboh completely destroyed with only one buiding standing. The building, which belonged to the military, happens to be on a hill," he told reporters after receiving RM1 million in aid for Indonesia's Tsunami Disaster Relief Fund here Thursday.
Rusdihardjo said there were about 150,000 residents in Meulaboh, which was located 150km from the epicentre of the earthquake while Pulau Simeuleu had a population of 76,000.
Ambassador Rusdihardjo said a combination of earthquake and tsunami had left 80 to 100 per cent of infrastructure in Acheh province, such as hospitals, health centres, transport and communication networks and homes, destroyed.
"Looking at the scale of destruction, it's difficult to say when the search and rescue operations can be mounted in all affected areas," he said.
He said rescue efforts were hampered by transportation difficulties and lack of fuel.
Rusdihardjo said that at this time international help, especially in the form of medicines, clean water, food and clothing, were desperately needed by Indonesia to aid survivors in Acheh.
"Now we are worried about the outbreak of diseases such as cholera, the work of disposing corpses and the absence of clean water following the contamination of water sources," he said.
It would take years before the situation returned to normal, he said, adding that the Indonesian government was not able to estimate losses caused by the tragedy as yet.
He expressed his gratitude to Malaysia's help although the country itself was hit with 66 lives lost so far and property to the tune of millions of ringgit destroyed.
"We are deeply touched," he said.
Rusdihardjo said Indonesia was also seeking Malaysia's cooperation to mount search and rescue operations from its shores because of the close proximity of the two countries. |
This is terrible 
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Locutus
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ACS CTP1/2 Manager & Civ4 Co-Manager
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Hengelo, The Netherlands
Nov 1999
time: 06:17
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That number seems a bit extreme.
When I google for Meulaboh, I get a population of 36,000, not 150,000. I can't find Pulau Simeuleu on any map (and I have a very detailed map of Indonesia). According to Google, there is a wildlife park called Pulau Simeulue and my map also has an island which is called simply Simeulue and has a population of 30,000 (not 76,000). Plus, it's a bit premature to assume based on a little bit of aerial reconnaisance that every living soul in the whole area has perished.
So that article smells like bull to me, at least until other sources back it up...
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lightblue
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L'Boro, UK
Oct 2001
time: 05:17
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125000 dead now and with large parts of Aceh and the Indian islands not reached yet this could go much higher. There were pictures from a helicopter on the news here today about certain towns in Aceh that hadn't been reached by road yet. Some had no buildings left, the only thing that distinguished it from a normal empty wateland were the concrete streets and foundations that were left. Most of these towns are expected to have fatality rates of 25-40%.
The Thai government says that people should expect that upto 80% of the still missing should be assumed dead.
In Sri Lanka a lot of the dead go unreported as only the ones that go through the official channels get reported.
I can see this go well clear of a quarter million, possibly heading more towards half a million, not counting the cost of upcoming cholera and dysentry epidemics.
I am only a student and can't spare that much, but have pledged £30 to the Disasters Emergency Relief fund here in the UK (umbrella organisation including amongst other the British Red Cross, Cafod, Oxfam, Save the Children, Tearfund). For those that want to contribute call 0870 60 60 900 in the UK or go to http://www.dec.org.uk .
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The Emperor Fabulous
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Apolyton's Resident Actor-in-Training
Aug 1999
time: 00:17
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quote:
Originally posted by Locutus
That number seems a bit extreme.
When I google for Meulaboh, I get a population of 36,000, not 150,000. I can't find Pulau Simeuleu on any map (and I have a very detailed map of Indonesia). According to Google, there is a wildlife park called Pulau Simeulue and my map also has an island which is called simply Simeulue and has a population of 30,000 (not 76,000). Plus, it's a bit premature to assume based on a little bit of aerial reconnaisance that every living soul in the whole area has perished.
So that article smells like bull to me, at least until other sources back it up... |
Meulaboh had an initial report of between 10,000 and 40,000 dead, so I think the population you got was off. I think your population figures are off all around.
Whatever...the numbers will come out eventually.
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CiverDan
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I think we are finding that the numbers only include those bodies that have been officially counted by the authorities to this point. They do not include Areas that have not been reached yet, including part of the west coast of Sumatra, some of the islands, and a few areas in SE Sri Lanka. Nor do they include those presumably washed out to sea/missing. In certain areas bodies may have been counted but have not been added to the "official" numbers due to lack of coordination on the ground.
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30-12-2004 23:13
, please donate some money to the aid organisations
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