Tsunami death toll hits 123,000

The death toll from the Indian Ocean disaster rose dramatically today to 123,000 after Indonesia said almost 80,000 had died in that country alone
Amid the panic, government officials in Colombo said the country's death toll had risen above 24,000. The Indian government said that 13,268 people were dead or feared dead across the country. In a statement, it said 7,330 were confirmed dead and another 5,900 were missing and presumed dead. All the presumed dead are in the remote Andaman and Nicobar islands, where rescuers have yet to reach isolated areas
Thailand's official death toll stands at 2,404 - including 713 foreigners - but following a visit to the southern province of Phang Nga, the country's interior minister, Bhokin Balakula, said today that more than 3,500 bodies had been found in that region alone.
Nationals of more than 40 countries were on holiday in six provinces of southern Thailand when disaster struck. They include some 1,500 Swedes, 200 Finns, 200 Danes and hundreds of Norwegians, according to reports from Scandinavian capitals.