1,600 Swedes missing in Asian tsunamis -- radio
28/12/2004 17:18
Deadly tsunamis that swept across the countries in the Indian Ocean rim
Sunday have left about 1,600 Swedish tourists missing, Swedish public radio
reported Tuesday. Swedish travel agencies said they failed to get contact so
far with those people after the disastrous Asian tidal waves, triggered by a
huge earthquake of 8.7 on Richter scale according to the China Seismological
Bureau. The Swedish government said Monday that at least 10 people died in
Thailand, and the number might rise as nearly 10,000 Swedes were on holiday in
the tsunami-stricken region. So far, there is no official figures from the
Swedish Foreign Ministry. Hundreds of foreigners were reportedly killed or
missing. Thai deputy interior minister said Tuesday that more than 700 foreign
tourists are believed to have died in the tsunamis. Many of the foreign
tourists were spending their Christmas vacation in this region. The
earthquake hit at 6:58 am (0058 GMT) Sunday off the west coast of the Indonesian
island of Sumatra. The death toll has risen to more than 25,000.
Xinhua
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