1,000 people die as wave engulfs train

AT LEAST 1,000 people on board a Sri Lankan train perished when waves swept the carriages off the track in one of the biggest losses of life from the natural disaster that struck from Indonesia to Africa.

Police said the train - named Queen of the Sea - had stopped on its coastal journey from the capital Colombo just before it was struck by water on Sunday morning - two-and-a-half hours after the quake unleashed its killer waves.

Many of the dead were villagers in the area who tried to escape the waves by climbing onto the top of the train with the help of the passengers. Yesterday, the eight rust-coloured carriages lay in deep pools of water amid debris and fallen palm trees. The force of the waves had torn the wheels off some, and the train tracks twisted like a loop on a roller coaster.