Foreign Ministry now fears several Finnish deaths in Asian disaster area

Dozens missing in Khao Lak area of Thailand, north of Phuket

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It is highly likely there will be several Finnish fatalities from the effects of the tidal waves following the massive earthquake in Sumatra on Sunday, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday morning. A precise figure is unlikely to be available for some time to come, however, said Director-General Yrjö Länsipuro in a morning interview with YLE TV news.
      Länsipuro reported that according to information gathered by insurance companies, there is a further Finnish fatality in Thailand, alongside the woman whose death in Sri Lanka was announced yesterday. He said nevertheless that it was probable that there would be more deaths than the two so far confirmed.
      According to the YLE news bulletin, there are several unaccompanied Finnish children in evacuation centres in Thailand. Their parents are missing and not yet accounted for.
     
Hospital lists of injured persons in the Phuket area alone have produced numerous Finnish names, but these people are at least documented and in care.
      Dozens remain missing altogether, including three young people and the father of two of them, who were last seen walking on the beach at Khao Lak, north of Phuket.
      Khao Lak received a direct hit from the huge tidal waves kicked up by the undersea earthquake, and the four individuals have not been seen since. Tour operators speak of as many as 100 Finns in the Khao Lak area who have not been located, but telephone lines, roads, and electricity supplies in the region have all been put out of action by the disaster. A team from travel company Finnmatkat will be going into the area on foot today to search for Finns from local schools and hospitals.
     
Of the 170 Finns believed to have been holidaying in Sri Lanka, three have not been contacted. It is thought probable that they were on an excursion inland and are thus likely to be safe. All 147 Aurinkomatkat customers located in the Thai resort of Krabi, east from Phuket, are safe and accounted for.
      Injured persons are being brought out on the first returning flights from the affected areas (see accompanying story) along with families with young children. Outgoing flights are also carrying Finnish medical personnel in order to be able better to gauge the condition of passengers returning.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Several thousand Finns in Asian quake zone; concerned relatives block crisis hotlines (27.12.2004)
  "The first big wave came at us like a 10-metre wall of water" (27.12.2004)
  Finnish Red Cross and others appeal for donations for earthquake relief (27.12.2004)

Helsingin Sanomat