Thousands killed as tidal waves wreak havoc to islands and countries in south and south east Asia

Geneva, December 26, 2004—An 8.9-magnitude earthquake off the west coast of the northern Indonesian island of Sumatra set off massive tidal waves on Sunday morning (December 26), which slammed into coastal towns and villages across south and south east Asia, killing thousands of people.

The quake—the world's most powerful in a century— first struck at 7.59 a.m. with multiple tremors felt in the Andaman islands. The quake triggered tidal waves, which swept across the Indian Ocean, striking coastal regions of Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Bangladesh and Malaysia. The tsunami also swept across the low-lying islands that make up the Maldives. Reuter's AlertNet reports that over 1,600 people have been killed in India and 1,500 in Sri Lanka. Hundreds of people have also been reported missing, and the death toll is expected to rise. Casualty figures are also rising. Tens of thousands of people have been displaced throughout the region, with millions affected throughout the region.

The National Christian Council of Sri Lanka (NCCSL), a member of the global alliance Action by Churches Together (ACT) International, has already started responding to the emergency brought on by the massive sea surge, which swamped the country's southern, eastern and northern coast lines.

"I can't describe the disaster that has hit Sri Lanka very unexpectedly and have thrown millions of lives into complete disarray. We have broken our vacation and are working today to assist those who are helpless during these times. Please help us," writes Xavier, an emergency officer with NCCSL.

NCCSL reports that a sea surge triggered by the under-sea quake caused massive inland tides (in some instances up to 2.5 km long) in places like Trinco, Batticaloa, Amaprai, Matara, Galle. Xavier reports that from the telephone messages received from clergy, "it is feared that [the death toll] may rise, since the exact number of those who went fishing is not yet known." NCCSL also reports that the north of the country has been hard hit, although no casualty figures are available from there yet. "In Thirukovil, three whole villages got drowned. In a hospital in Kinniya, Trinco, which is within 500 meters from the shore, the [sea swept out] some 25 patients."

NCCSL also reports complete destruction in parts of the capital city Colombo along the seashore where many of the poorest of the city lived. The tides swept most of their homes and belongings out to sea. Telephone lines are also down, making communication difficult.

Xavier says that as he was coming into the office this morning, "I traversed Galle Road (one of the most important highways of Sri Lanka) and people are there in utter panic. Pockets of crowds are gathered around those affected by this event, and listen to the stories of those relating to the horror experienced. They are utterly frightened."

"I received a SMS (text message) saying that the Batti situation is worsening. People are utterly confused. A few churches that were close by to the coast were also submerged. One church pastor called to say that there is only 50 more meters for sea to reach his church, which is quite far from the sea," he adds.

NCC/SL has already dispatched money to Colombo for food parcels for people in need of assistance. At an emergency meeting of the heads of the churches and the NCCSL, it was decided to immediately send three pastoral teams to the affected regions, Trinco, Batticaloa, and Down Southern coasts.

"We keep receiving requests from all over, from the churches in the coastal area," says Xavier. "I myself keep calling my home and update myself about my family in Mount Lavania, on the coastal stretch of Colombo."

Locations for the proposed response in Sri Lanka are in the north (northern and peninsular coastal regions), in the east (Batticaloa, Thirukovil, Amparai, Trinco and Muttur), the Down southern coastal region (Galle and Matara) and the western coastal region (Kalutara and Wattala).

Members of ACT International in India, Church's Auxiliary for Social Action (CASA) and Lutheran World Service India (LWSI) have been in touch with the ACT Coordinating Office (CO) in Geneva. They will be working together with ACT member United Evangelical Lutheran Church in India (UELCI) to assess people's needs in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. CASA reports that requests have been coming in from local churches and the agency is arranging that two assessment teams (15 people to a team) travel to the coastal areas of the states first thing on Monday, December 27. CASA has also been in touch with Christian Aid and DanChurchAid's local offices in India.

LWSI's emergencies program director, K.G. Mathaikutty, says that local media reports indicate of widespread destruction in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Pondichery, Kerala and Orissa.

In Indonesia, the province of Aceh on Sumatra's northernmost tip near the epicenter of the under-sea quake, is reported to have been hit the worst. Members of ACT in Indonesia, Yayasan Tanggul Benkana (YTB), Yakkum Emergency Unit/CD Bethesda (YEU) and Church World Service CWS) will be coordinating their response to the emergency. Reports are that the island of Nias, one of the areas where YTB works, has been hit very hard. The island, which is generally underdeveloped, has a population of nearly 700,000 people. No reports have been received so far from Aceh. Complicating factors could be that Aceh has become increasingly isolated from the world due a clampdown by the Indonesian government in an effort to control fighting between government soldiers and separatist rebels.

The world's worst tsunami in recent history struck on July 17, 1998, when three waves ripped through Papua New Guinea's northwest coast, killing 2,500.

Several members of the ACT alliance in Europe have already contacted the ACT CO, pledging financial support to the ACT members in the region. A preliminary ACT appeal is expected to be issued the week of December 27, 2004.

Any funding indication or pledge should be communicated to Jessie Kgoroeadira, ACT Finance Officer (jkg@act-intl.org). Thank you.