Somalia death toll doubles
31/12/2004 - 12:29:55The number of Somalis killed by deadly tidal waves that battered the country’s shores has doubled to more than 200.
Most of the victims are from the Indian Ocean coastline of the semiautonomous region of Puntland, including the north-eastern Hafun island that was hardest hit by the violent waves at the weekend, said Somali presidential spokesman Yusuf Mohamed Ismail.
“According to the information we received by the end of Thursday, more than 200 people are confirmed dead,” Yusuf said. “This is a total number of bodies that have been recovered and buried. Many are still missing.”
The tsunamis hit the East African nation’s shores after travelling 2,800 miles across the Indian Ocean from the quake’s epicentre.
