Tsunamis kill 7,400 in India; 20,000 elsewhere

The toll in Sunday's earthquake-induced tsunamis continued to mount on Tuesday, with latest figures indicating nearly 7,400 deaths in India and over 20,000 in six countries across South and South East Asia.

Tamil Nadu and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the worst hit in India, accounted for 4,500 and 3,000 deaths respectively.

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In Kerala 148 people lost their lives, while 96 died in Andhra Pradesh as the waves ravaged the coastal regions of
India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and the Maldives, washing away entire villages.

The waves were triggered by an earthquake off the Sumatra coast in Indonesia on Sunday.

Massive rescue operations have been launched across the tsunami-hit regions with medicines and relief material being
flown in from all parts of the world.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi accompanied by Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee visited affected areas in Chennai and Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu on Tuesday.

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Bharatiya Janata Party chief Lal Kishenchand Advani visited the tsunami-hit

areas in Kanniyakumari district of Tamil Nadu and some parts of Kerala.

In Delhi, former prime minister and senior BJP leader, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, announced formation of a Calamity Relief
Fund.

Water has receded in many places in Tamil Nadu and neighbouring Pondicherry making it possible for relief work to gain momentum. Mass burials are taking place in many of the affected areas.

Allaying fears, the government said a nuclear power plant in Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu is safe and that there is no threat of radiation.

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The toll in Sri Lanka, meanwhile, reached 12,271 after bodies were recovered from the Tamil rebel-held areas.

Unconfirmed reports put the toll in Sri Lanka at 15,000.

Up to 5,774 people have died in Indonesia and 990 in Thailand.

According to latest reports, 60 people died in Malaysia and the toll in Maldives ow stands at 52.

As many as 56 people died in Myanmar and two in Bangladesh.