Emergency efforts for quake victims continue

Tourists are leaving the disaster region of Phuket in Thailand Keystone

At least 40,000 people have been killed and hundreds of thousands made homeless as a result of Sunday’s earthquake in southeast Asia.

Efforts are continuing to locate and repatriate Swiss victims in the region.

Officials and media reports in the affected countries said the death toll from the undersea quake near Indonesia had risen to 29,000 on Tuesday.

They added that the figure could reach 57,000 with Indonesia and Sri Lanka among the worst-hit.

Thailand said its toll might exceed 2,000. It is believed that several Swiss were among those who perished.

Repatriation

The Swiss Air Rescue Service (Rega) said it had registered about 60 cases of people needing assistance on Thailand’s popular tourist island, Phuket.

“New cases are reported on an hourly basis,” said Rega spokesman Thomas Kenner.

At least 12 Swiss citizens are still missing.

A second Rega ambulance jet with medical teams left for Phuket on Tuesday to repatriate wounded survivors.

A first return flight from the island – organised by the Swiss foreign ministry and tour operators – is expected to arrive in Switzerland on Wednesday.

Kenner said the medical service in Phuket was relatively good, but the situation was very difficult in nearby Phang Nga.

Tourists

The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) said it was sending an additional team of experts and medical equipment to the island of Phuket.

The specialists will be trying to coordinate the repatriation of Swiss tourists. They will also help identify possible Swiss victims.

Other teams are working in southern India and Sri Lanka to assess the needs of the local population.

On Monday the Swiss foreign ministry said it was still trying to contact around a thousand Swiss citizens in Thailand.

Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey sent her condolences to the nations and families affected by the earthquake.

About 2,200 Swiss tourists are believed to have been in region when the giant waves hit the shores of many popular holiday destinations.

Emergency aid

The Geneva-based Doctors Without Borders organisation said it was preparing relief operations in several Asian countries affected by the disaster.

The non-governmental group said 20 volunteers were assessing the needs of people in Sri Lanka, Myanmar, India, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Meanwhile, the United Nations has begun its largest ever relief operation in response to the disaster.

Relief co-ordinators said the operation would probably cost billions of dollars and hundreds of planes carrying emergency aid would be airborne within the next couple of days.

Switzerland’s charities are organising a special fundraising campaign next week for the victims of the tremor.

On Sunday the government and several NGOs pledged SFr2 million ($1.8 million) in emergency aid.

swissinfo with agencies

Key facts

At least 40,000 people have been killed in Sunday’s earthquake in southeast Asia.
Hundreds of thousands in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, Malaysia and other countries have been made homeless.
The Swiss foreign ministry set up a telephone hotline for relatives of seeking information on possible Swiss victims [phone].