BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (28 Dec 2004) -- Dead bodies littered the streets of Indonesia's Aceh province on Tuesday as fears rose that more than 25,000 people may have been killed in the weekend quake and tsunami. Decomposing corpses spread a foul smell over the provincial capital, Banda Aceh, on the northern tip of Sumatra island, and fresh water, food and fuel were in short supply. Many parts of Aceh had not yet been heard from or reached by rescue crews. Speaking from Meulaboh, on the western coast of Sumatra about 90 miles from the epicenter of the underwater quake, the mayor said 75 percent of the city had been washed away. "We can't calculate it all now, but a rough estimate is tens of thousands dead," Tengku Zulkarnaen told El Shinta radio. Fear was mixed with anger as residents in Banda Aceh queued outside the few open shops guarded by soldiers. "Where is the assistance? There is nothing. All the government are asleep," said Mirza, a 28-year-old resident. "I've been standing here for an hour. There is nothing at home," said Budi, 24. Soldiers and volunteers collected corpses for mass burial in several towns and cities in a bid to prevent disease in the province, where troops are stationed to combat a rebellion that began in 1976. Whole battalions of soldiers and police are among the dead and missing and separatist rebels have announced a cease-fire while people search for loved ones. But foreign aid agencies are still waiting for official permission to enter the area. In Banda Aceh, on a field about four times the size of a soccer pitch, more than 1,000 bodies lay where they died while watching a sports event on Sunday. "I was in the field as a referee. The waves suddenly came in and I was saved by God -- I got caught in the branches of a tree," said Mahmud Azaf who lost his three children to the tsunami. Indonesian Vice-President Jusuf Kalla said late on Monday the death toll from the tsunami that swept across the Indian ocean region could hit 10,000 in this one area of the country alone. In a separate report, national news agency Antara quoted him as saying he feared the toll could rise as high as 25,000. He said 100,000 people had been injured. The death toll given by the government for Indonesia is around 5,000 so far. Families frantically sought loved ones on Tuesday. Thousands of others were traumatised, fearing fresh quakes and tsunamis. A military official said resources were stretched. "Many bodies are still lying on the streets. There just aren't enough body bags," Lieutenant Colonel Budi Santoso told reporters. | | The bodies of victims of a tsunami which hit the Indonesian city of Banda Aceh are seen December 27, 2004. Dead bodies littered the streets on Tuesday and fresh water, food and fuel were in short supply in Indonesia's Aceh province where it is feared as many as 10,000 people were killed by the tsunami. "The evacuation process is difficult because there are not enough trucks," said another officer. MISSING BATTALION The wall of water up to 10 meters (33 ft) high that followed the quake, which measured 9.0 on the Richter Scale, has killed more than 23,200 people across Asia. Hundreds of swollen bodies still lay in a market in Banda Aceh's outskirts, covered with bright orange plastic sheets. "I'm tired. I'm looking for my father. Please help me," wailed Maimori, 22. She said her father was a fish seller and last spoke to her on Sunday before going to the market. Power cuts meant Banda Aceh was virtually blacked out overnight. Few people ventured onto the streets, but some activity could be seen at the main mosque, where people from outside town came to ask residents about missing relatives. Aceh police chief Inspector General Bahrumsyah Kasman said one battalion from the police mobile brigade was missing along with at least 500 military personnel. Aceh, some 1,000 miles northwest of Jakarta, is under civilian emergency rule as part of efforts to quell the separatist insurgency. The United Nations has offered to send disaster response teams and a government official said Aceh would be open to aid workers from Wednesday. The government has also rushed aid to the region, an effort which may be aided by the fact that leaders of the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM), based in Sweden, declared a unilateral cease-fire with government forces on Monday. The disaster had displaced some 50,000 people, GAM said in a statement, and it did not want to add to the panic and confusion. The United Nations has warned of epidemics within days across Asia if health systems cannot cope, saying the effects of disease could be as bad as the tsunami itself. SOURCE - Reuters |
