CANDLES flickered at the heads of about 20 corpses, wrapped in white sheets on the street outside the Santa Maria church in the devastated town of Gunung Sitoli on Nias, the Indonesian isle known as a surfers’ paradise.

Candles flickered at the heads of about 20 corpses, lying in the street wrapped in white sheets outside the Santa Maria church in the devastated main town on Nias, the Indonesian isle known as a surfers' paradise.