The tsunami hit Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Maldives four years ago, today. May we remember the poor souls that lost their lives and the families that lost loved ones.

And some lucky souls are survivors. One friend of mine in Patong slept through it all on a high floor of his hotel..

 

Another friend of mine who worked at the World Trade Center was late to work that day while many in his office perished.

PHANGNGA: -- Nearly 400 bodies of tsunami victims remain unidentified after four years, the Thai Tsunami Victim Identification and Repatriation Centre in Phangnga said ahead of the fourth anniversary of the tsunami on December 26.

 

Centre director Nitinai Sornsongkram said 388 bodies of tsunami victims remain unidentified.

 

The centre received 3,696 bodies in February 2005 and 3,308 bodies were unidentified and retrieved by their relatives, he said.

 

He affirmed that agency workers are still trying to identify the bodies and to return them to their families.

 

At present, there are 445 still missing persons who have been reported by their relatives. Of these, 290 are Thais, 95 are Myanmar migrant workers and 60 are Scandinavians.

 

Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, and Thailand were all hard hit by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami triggered by an earthquake with a magnitude of about nine on the Richter scale.

 

More than 5,000 people, mostly international tourists on holiday, were killed when the killer waves struck Thailand's six Andaman coastal provinces.

 

-- TNA 2008-12-24