Several thousand Finns in Asian quake zone; concerned relatives block crisis hotlines

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Sunday’s colossal undersea earthquake in the Indian Ocean, in which more than 14,000 people are already known to have died and millions have lost their homes, has also affected the several thousand Finnish tourists spending their Christmas vacation in the region.
      Initial reports have indicated one Finnish fatality, but details remain very sketchy, as Thailand in particular is popular with backpacking tourists who do not appear on tour operators’ hotel lists. Concerned relatives jammed Foreign Ministry crisis lines as news of the disaster filtered through in the course of Sunday.
     
There are thought to be as many as 2,000 Finns on the Thai island resort of Phuket alone, and a further 1,000 elsewhere in the country, particularly in resorts such as Krabi, to the east of Phuket, and at Khao Lak, a popular jumping-off point for the Similan Islands further north.
      Other parts of the country such as Bangkok and the beaches and islands of the Gulf of Thailand have not been affected. Travel operators say there are several hundred Finns in Sri Lanka, many in affected areas, and hundreds more in Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Maldives, the low-lying islands south-west of Sri Lanka, which were also badly hit.
      First reports did not speak of any Finnish fatalities, but details of the movements of all Finnish citizens are impossible to come by at such short notice, not simply because of the chaos that follows a disaster of this magnitude, but also because many are likely to be travelling alone: Thailand is a very popular destination with backpackers, in addition to holidaymakers on organised package trips. Many of these go-it-alone tourists will be difficult to trace until they report in themselves.
     
According to the Finnish News Agency STT, at least two backpacking Finnish tourists were among the injured in Southern Thailand. A 39-year-old Helsinki woman was evacuated from the floods by helicopter, and she had reported briefly by phone that there were bodies lying around everywhere.
      Concerned relatives jammed the 24/7 crisis lines hurriedly set up on Sunday by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and travel operators. The ministry’s representatives abroad did their best to gather information on Finnish residents and tourists in the region.
      According to the Finnish Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, those citizens holidaying in Malaysia are in no danger, and the same information was passed from the Delhi Embassy, which also serves Sri Lanka. Finnish observers monitoring the ceasefire in Sri Lanka are believed to have emerged from the tidal waves unscathed.
     
An envoy was despatched from Bangkok to Phuket in the course of Sunday. A temporary consular post will be set up in the resort to help Finns who may have lost all their personal effects in the disaster.
      Around 100 Finns have been evacuated from hotels in Hat Khao Lak, north of Phuket, and it is believed that some of these are among the injured. There have also been unconfirmed reports from one Thai destination of missing family members.
     
Finnair will be flying out the first Finnish tourists from the Phuket area already in the course of today. An empty Finnair flight arrived in the battered resort this morning, and it is expected to arrive in Helsinki at around 19:15 this evening.
      Priority will be given to the injured. The outward flight was carrying two doctors, nursing staff, and representatives of the tour operators. An Air Finland flight to Sri Lanka is also scheduled to depart for the region tonight.
     
     
Breaking News: At least one Finn reported among dead; ministry warns more fatalities may be in prospect
     
According to SOS International, a joint body operated by Nordic insurers, at least one Finn is among the dead in the aftermath of the earthquake that hit the countries bordering the Indian Ocean yesterday.
      The Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not confirmed the report, but warns that it is likely the final death-toll will include Finnish citizens.
      SOS International has gathered information as best it can from the disaster area and two of its doctors are en route to Thailand.
      According to the emergency centre in Copenhagen, around six Scandinavian citizens are among the dead, with a further 120 injured. Two Swedes, two Norwegians, one Finn, and one Dane are thought to have been killed.
     

More on this subject:
 FACTFILE: Holiday flights to Thailand and Sri Lanka cancelled

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