A three-day summit of seven South Asian countries scheduled to be held in Dhaka from January 9th has been postponed in the wake of the most devastating tsunami on record.

The Bangladesh Foreign Secretary told reporters the meeting of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation has been postponed indefinitely due to heavy losses of lives and property in three of the countries.

The foreign secretary also said it would be rescheduled for a later date.

The association comprises Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

The tsunami has killed more than 118,000 people in nine countries, including more than 24,000 in Sri Lanka, and over 10,000 in India.