Tsunamis triggered by a powerful earthquake in Indonesia have killed 136
people in Kerala, India, with authorities discovering 15 more bodies Monday,
according to Indo-Asian News Service (IANS).
Twelve bodies were found in Kollam, taking the total death toll in the
district to 108.
The toll in Alappuzha, another coastal district, was put at 24.Three bodies
had been recovered Monday. Ernakulam district reported four casualties.
The worst hit in Kollam was Karunagapally taluk where the tidal waves
virtually washed away the seashore leaving little trace of land. Close to 1,000
houses were razed in Ahizkel village.
The Mata Amrithanandamayi Ashram at Vallikavu, located on an island near
Kollam, was saved from the fury.
Reports from Kollam and Alappuzha said the water level had begun receding.
Twenty relief camps were opened at Alappuzha, and they now house some 10,000
people, Tourism Minister K.C. Venugopal said to media. In and around Kollam,
close to 20,000 people have shifted to similar relief camps.
