Tsunami death toll up, fear of epidemics

More than 70,000 people previously listed as missing in Indonesia are dead, the nation’s health ministry said, putting the worldwide tsunami death toll above 220,000 today, though the numbers still had to be confirmed.

The US, meanwhile, planned to scale down its military relief operations in Indonesia’s devastated Aceh province by the end of February, as a UN official said the world’s quick response to the catastrophe dramatically shortened the emergency phase of aid efforts.