At least 45 doctors were reported missing and feared dead after killer tsunamis wiped out three hospitals in Sri Lanka's coastal areas, according to a local doctors' association.
The Sri Lanka government has so far confirmed 21,715 deaths from Sunday's earthquake-triggered tidal waves.
A social service officer attached to the state-run National Disaster Management Center said more than 8,600 people also have been injured in the island nation which was suffering the worst hit by the devastating tsunami.
The 8.7-magnitude tremor, the world's most powerful in 40 years, sent high waves crashing onto the shores of a number of coastal nations and inundated villages and towns.
Medical teams and supplies are rushed from Asian neighbors and the rest of the world to the island to assist in rescuing and treating the injured.