Workers from Indonesia to India rushed to bury corpses to ward off disease today as cargo planes touched down with promised aid – from lentils to water purifiers – to help the region cope with its tsunami catastrophe.

Rescuers were hoping for “individual miracles” of survival as they combed the beaches and islands of southern Thailand today for missing tourists and locals swept away by earthquake-powered tidal waves.

Barring miracles, French hotel group Accor said it had little hope for scores of guests missing from a Thai resort hit by the tidal wave disaster.