13 dead, hundreds of Norwegians still missing
29/12/2004 11:15
Thirteen Norwegians died in Asia 's tidal wave disaster, with 11 deaths in
Thailand and two in Sri Lanka, Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) reported on
Tuesday. Up to 200 Norwegians still have not been accounted for, but
communications are down in many areas, according to the latest figures from the
Department of Foreign Affairs. On Tuesday morning, two Norwegian children
were found alive and have been reunited with their families. Around 50
Norwegians are registered as patients at several hospitals in the Phuket region
in Thailand, NRK reported. About 3,000 Norwegians were on Christmas holiday
in South East Asia when the disaster struck. Foreign ministry officials and
tour operators said Tuesday that hundreds of vacationing Norwegians remain among
the missing after deadly tidal waves struck countries around the Indian Ocean.
The confirmed death toll was expected to rise. "There is reason to be
worried," said Lena Petersson of Star Tour. "Conditions are very difficult, but
we're working as hard as we can." She said communications were erratic and
ongoing chaos in the area posed challenges for locating guests who might have
been taken to local hospitals.
Xinhua
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