Tsunami victims wait for homes

ONLY one-fifth of the 1.8 million people made homeless by last December’s tsunami will be in permanent homes by the end of this year, British-based aid group Oxfam International said yesterday.

In the three worst-affected countries - Indonesia, Sri Lanka and India - the total need was for 308,000 homes, the equivalent of rehousing the entire population of Philadelphia, Oxfam said in a report ahead of the anniversary of the December 26 catastrophe.

At least 231,452 people were killed or remain missing after the 9.15 magnitude undersea earthquake off the northern tip of Sumatra and the unprecedented tsunami it spawned.