20,000 dead and tidal waves death toll mounts by the minute

Rescuers piled up bodies along the tropical coasts of southern Asia as the death toll from the biggest quake in four decades that triggered killer tidal waves passed 20,000 people, more than half of them in Sri Lanka.

The 20-foot-high waves smashed into seaside towns and resorts, sweeping away boats, homes, fishermen and tourists, including a grandson of Thailand’s king and scores of foreigners.