CJAD 800 : News
Death toll from Asian earthquake, tsunami rises to about 160,000
Updated at 1:33 on January 7, 2005, EST.
JAKARTA, Indonesia (CP) – The death toll from the devastating tsunami that hit Asia and Africa soared to about 160,000 early Friday after Indonesia announced almost 20,000 new deaths.
Health officials have warned the death toll could jump even higher without a continual supply of aid and world leaders struggled Thursday to figure out the best way to help victims – and prevent such a catastrophe from happening again.
Donors concluded an emergency one-day summit as relief workers scrambled to move aid to areas of Sumatra, the Indonesian island hit hardest by the earthquake and giant waves that crashed ashore Dec. 26. Volunteers hurled sacks of rice and instant noodles into trucks as U.S. helicopters loaded with other supplies buzzed overhead en route to isolated communities.
Indonesia said Friday its death toll from the 9.0-magnitude earthquake and the tsunamis it spawned was 113,306, up from its previous estimate of 94,200. More than 10,000 are still missing in the Aceh province of Sumatra Island, the Ministry of Social Affairs said.