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Indonesian Tsunami Leaves High Death Count


            A deadly tsunami devastated the Indonesian islands on Monday, leaving the death toll well above 100 and likely to increase with time. A 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck just 78 kilometers west of South Pagai, one of the Mentawai Islands, sending a 10-foot tsunami toward the Indonesian islands (Nedi). Strong winds and rough seas prevented rescuers from making the 12-hour boat ride to the islands to support those who had experienced the tsunami (MSNBC.com). .
             According to local legislator Hendri Dori Satoko, the latest death toll was at 108 with 502 more missing. However, The Associated Press believed the death count to be 113 (MSNBC.com). Although there remains to be a discrepancy between the exact death count, this is typical in the recent aftermath of a disaster. .
             The tsunami left a tragic scene in its wake. Few search-and-rescuers were able to get to the islands, leaving only fishermen to deal with the dead and search for the living. According to Edison Salelo Baja, the Mentawai district chief, corpses were strewn about because there were not enough people to dig the graves (Nedi). More than 4,000 people were expected to spend the night without shelter because rescue supplies, such as tents, had not yet arrived (MSNBC.com). Mujiharto, the leader of the Health Ministry's crisis center, announced, "We have 200 body bags on the way, just in case" (Nedi). Hardimansyah, an official with the regional branch of the Department of Fisheries, reported that most of the buildings in the coastal village of Betu Monga were destroyed. "Of the 200 people living in that village, only 40 have been found. 160 are still missing, mostly women and children. We have people reporting to the security post here that they could not hold on to their children, that they were swept away. A lot of people crying," he said. He also announced that 80 percent of the houses in that area were damaged and food supplies were low (MSNBC.


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