Tradegy Off Paradise Island

During the last few days, I had this dreadful hunch something bad was going to happen. Whenever my nose gets itchy, it means there are bad things coming up. Today in the morning, I've heard news that a killer Tsunami hit off the southern coast of Thailand - mainly around Phuket that was triggered by a huge earthquake off Indonesia.





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Casualty toll reaches 84 dead, 400 wounded so far after tsunamis hit southern Thailand
Published on Dec 26 , 2004


BANGKOK, Dec 26 (AFP) - At least 84 people were killed and more than 400 wounded Sunday in southern Thailand after a series of tsunamis caused by a massive earthquake off Indonesia struck the kingdom, officials said.

"There are now 35 people who have died on Phuket, both foreign tourists and Thais, and 355 injured," an official in the governor's office of the popular resort island told AFP.

A police officer said at least six of the dead were foreigners who drowned on Karon beach on Phuket's west coast.

The death toll was likely to rise with several officials reporting over Thai radio and television that beachgoers and villagers had gone missing.

Police said 31 people had died in nearby Krabi on Thailand's southern mainland, at least 11 were killed on the small tourist island of Phi Phi, and seven fishermen died in Satun province bordering Malaysia.

A maritime police officer who asked not to be named said the casualties in Phi Phi could be far higher as the huge tidal wave decimated much of the development on the small island.

"Everything was washed away except two large hotels on Phi Phi Don island," the officer said after speaking with a Phi Phi resident by telephone.

Reuters reports that more than 100 tourists on diving holidays are missing on islands off southern Thailand following Sunday's tsunamis, about 70 of them in the famed Emeral Cave, a tourist official said.

"We don't know whether they are dead or alive," the official told Reuters from the southern city of Trang.

The Emeral Cave, which contains a tiny white sand beach and water turned emerald by sunshine through a hole in the top, is a major attraction for divers who have to swim underwater to get into it.

During the news broadcast, I was talking with my mother who told about her friend's daughter who was on holiday at Phi Phi Island, who was lucky to survive as she was sightseeing at the highest spot of the island. She said the Tsunami wave has simply covered all of the island taking everything along with the waves. Another tale related with the naming of the Tsunami, according to ancient folklore, they said that the mighty Mongol Invasion of Japan was foiled when the whole Mongol Naval fleet was decimated by the Divine Wind (Wave) - or Tsunami. We can see that up to today, these Tsunami can cause huge destruction and woe to humankind eventhough how advanced our society are - a clear lesson that we should never take Mother Nature lightly as we are doing these days.