Hundreds of Irish caught up in Asian disaster

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.

The 25,000 death toll is still rising steadily and thousands are missing or homeless in at least nine countries across the Bay of Bengal.

Mr Ahern said today: “Relatives of people in the stricken region should understand that communications systems are down in many areas.

“It could be days if not weeks before a clearer picture emerges of how many Irish people have been affected.”

Irish embassies and consular missions in the region are liaising with other embassies in southern Asia to try to establish if other Irish people are missing.

There are unconfirmed reports that that two Irish citizens are missing from the Thai island of Koh Phi Phi.

One Irish holiday-maker told of the “horrific” scenes he saw from his hotel room north of Phuket.

“I heard a huge noise like a helicopter. Then I saw a wall of water coming down the street. It was pushing people and cars and even an elephant.” said Donie Spillane from Scartaglen, Co Kerry.

“There were dead bodies everywhere. People were dying and in pain. It was horrific,” he told RTÉ Radio.

The Government has already pledged €1m in aid. The Irish Red Cross has sent €100,000 and UNICEF Ireland has allocated €150,000 in humanitarian assistance.

The aid agency GOAL dispatched an assessment team from Calcutta in India to the southern coastal areas of the country to provide assistance.

The Department of Foreign Affairs is still advising Irish citizens against travel to the Maldives, eastern parts of Sri Lanka and the west coast of Thailand.

People due to holiday in other tourist resorts in the region in the coming days should check with their travel operator, officials warned.

The Irish Ambassador to Thailand, Dan Mulhall, has set up a missing persons’ information centre in the city hall in Phuket.

Irish aid agencies have appealed to the public to give generously so that relief can be provided to victims of the tidal waves that devastated swathes of southern Asia’s coastline.

The Department of Foreign Affairs is continuing to operate a helpline number on [phone].