The Malaysian Armed Forces have deployed two Nuri helicopters, 59 assault boats, 21 land vehicles and over 120 personnel to help in the search and rescue operations for the tsunami victims.

Defense Forces Chief Mohamed Zahidi Zainuddin said Monday the troops and equipment were deployed Sunday while 300 additional personnel and a team of military divers were on standby.

"Military personnel are also distributing food to victims in the two states," he told reporters while accompanying Deputy PrimeMinister Najib Tun Razak on a visit to Penang State to survey the damage there.

Zahidi said that so far there have been no reports of big shipsin the Straits of Malacca being affected.

He said an early warning system on such occurrences should be put in place to prevent loss of lives.

Meanwhile, a northern region Meteorological Services Departmentspokesman said it was difficult to forecast whether more tidal waves would follow because the department did not have the equipment to detect them.

Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak said that as ofMonday afternoon, 51 people including a foreign tourist have been confirmed dead and 210 others injured in the tsunami that has affected states of Penang, Kedah, Perak and Perlis.

The tsunami was triggered by a devastating earthquake in northern Sumatra, Indonesia, Sunday. According to the Chinese State Seismological Bureau, the magnitude of the earthquake was pegged at 8.7 on the Richter Scale.