A VICTIM of a tsunami disaster hoaxer yesterday condemned the "sick prank" which told relatives of those missing in Asia that their loved ones had been found dead.

Dozens of Irish people remain unaccounted for in the aftermath of the earthquake disaster in South East Asia, Foreign Affairs Minister Dermot Ahern said tonight.

Dozens of Irish people are still unaccounted for, three days after the Asian tsunami disaster, it was confirmed today.

It could take weeks to find out the fate of an estimated 500 Irish people caught in the tidal wave which hit south-east Asia on Christmas Day, Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern said today.

Nine British tourists have reported they have been raped in Thailand since the beginning of last year, the British Embassy in Bangkok said today.