Annan shocked by tsunami devastation
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said the devastation on Indonesia’s tsunami-battered Sumatra island was the worst he’s ever seen, as authorities there pulled 4,000 new bodies from the rubble bringing the overall death toll to nearly 150,000.
After flying over the Sumatra’s west coast, which was closest to the 9.0 magnitude quake, Annan said “I have never seen such utter destruction mile after mile. You wonder where are the people, what has happened to them.”
Annan was later scheduled to drive through Banda Aceh.
“It’s a tragic event. We’ve seen miles and miles of destroyed shoreline,” Annan said. “I was shocked by the water destruction.”
Twelve days after the tsunami hit, the clean-up along some of Thailand’s coastline was almost finished and tour operators said they were eager to get back to business. Sunbathers were on the beach, while others threw frisbees and played in the sea.
But relief workers were still trying to come to terms with the scale of the December 26 earthquake and killer waves that hit 11 nations.
With tens of thousands still missing and threatened by disease, the United Nations said the number of dead would keep climbing.
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