Rescuers hope for 'individual miracles' as search continues

Rescuers were hoping for “individual miracles” of survival as they combed the beaches and islands of southern Thailand today for missing tourists and locals swept away by earthquake-powered tidal waves.

Among them were more than 2,000 Scandinavians and 200 guests at a French-owned hotel.

Although the official death toll stood at 1,500, a police officer said more than 1,500 bodies had been found in one district alone and the total death toll there could reach 3,000.

Police Col. Arun Khaewwathi, chief of Takua Pa district north of Phuket, said the corpses were discovered in three locations including Khao Lak, a stretch of beach studded with what were recently luxury hotels.

Shortage of equipment, heat and the fear of aftershocks were hampering the search, he said, adding that sniffer dogs were needed to help locate bodies covered by debris.

Some 30 rescue workers from Sweden, Germany and Taiwan were helping the Thais comb the worst-hit areas.

“There is still hope for a portion of those missing, unfortunately a minority, several dozen. For the rest, we have little hope, except for individual miracles,” said Jean-Marc Espalioux, chairman of the Accor hotel group which owns the Sofitel where more than 200 guests were still missing.

They were among thousands of Western and Asian holiday-makers packing hotels and bungalows during the height of the tourist season when killer waves struck on Sunday.

By an official Thai count, 1,574 were killed and 8,953 injured but Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra reiterated today he expected the death toll to rise to about 2,000.

There are 58,000 people confirmed dead around southern Asia and as far away as Somalia on Africa’s eastern coast, most of them by tidal waves from the 9.0 magnitude earthquake off Indonesia’s coast.

Although the death toll among the sun-worshipping Scandinavians – about 40 - was still relatively low, Sweden’s Foreign Minister Laila Freivalds said “we fear than many of the missing will not be found.”

Some 1,500 Swedes are missing, 200 Finns, 200 Danes and hundreds of Norwegians, according to reports from Scandinavian capitals.

Meanwhile, widespread looting was taking place in Phuket, Phi Phi Island and the nearby province of Phang Nga, television channel iTV reported. It said nine people were arrested for stealing in disaster-hit areas and that thieves were pilfering valuables left behind in abandoned hotels.

Thaksin earlier denounced the thieves as “despicable good-for-nothings” preying on people’s sufferings, and authorities said any caught would face the maximum punishment.

Nationals of more than 40 countries were reported vacationing in six provinces of southern Thailand when disaster struck. They included citizens from Ireland, South Korea, Japan, France, Germany, South Africa, Denmark, Finland, Australia, Mexico, Russia, Sweden, Portugal, Israel, Chile, Spain and the United States.

A number of foreign officials, forensic experts and relief workers were headed for the area to assess damage and offer assistance.

An international airlift also began today, with jets from France and Australia carrying critical aid and medical supplies the first to arrive in Phuket. Greece, Italy, Germany and Sweden all were planning to send aircraft to take their respective nationals home.

French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier arrived on Phuket Island today to deliver humanitarian supplies and meet with some of the victims.

Barnier was to visit a hospital and fly by helicopter over Khao Lak, a stretch of beach north of Phuket Island where the death toll from the tidal waves was highest, said spokeswoman Cecile Pozzo di Borgo. The Sofitel resort was one of many luxury hotels at Khao Lak that were destroyed.

The US Embassy said six military planes carrying basic food, shelter and medical supplies had landed in Thailand and two naval vessels were carrying similar aid to the stricken area.

Other countries donating funds or supplies include China, South Korea, Iran and Japan, the Thai Foreign Ministry says.

Yesterday, the Thai government allocated 28 billion Baht (€525.5m) for disaster relief and approved tax breaks and low-interest loans to affected people, said Jakapob Penkair, a government spokesman.