Monday, December 27 2004 13:20 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Port Blair: Death toll Andaman and Nicobar rises to more than 3000. The death toll in the Andaman and Nicobar Island, hit by a massive Tsunami wave on Sunday (Dec 26, 2004) morning, has climbed to more than 3000.

"More than 3000 persons have been killed, it is now confirmed and the casualty may go up," The IGP, Andaman and Nicobar Island, S B Deol said.

He further said that the worst hit were the Car Nicobar and the Nancowrie group of islands and, "the situation is so bad that the rescue teams are yet to reach these places."

Car Nicobar has a population of around 19,00 and Nancowrie nearly 18,000, he said.

Describing the situation as, "very grim", Deol said that latest casualty figure was based on the bodies already recovered and those who were missing for more than 24 hours and were believed to be dead.

The Andaman and Nicobar islands bore the brunt of the giant Tsunami waves triggered off by a powerful undersea earthquake off Indonesia's northern tip on Sunday morning.

''You can imagine the situation as the islands are spread over 800 kms ... The toll will be much higher. We are very apprehensive as we do not know what has happened in Nan Cowrie group of Islands at all,'' he said.

He said that a company of Indian Reserve Battalion, Air force and Navy were moving to Car Nicobar by ship for salvage operations but are being impeded by the tides which are 'going up and down'.

The aerial survey to Nan Cowrie Islands was being delayed as seawater had entered the aviation fuel storage tankers at Car Nicobar during the tsunami yesterday (Dec 26, 2004).

Aftershocks measuring 6 on the Richter scale rocked the Andaman and Nicobar Islands today at around 6:20 hrs (IST). Its epicentre was at 13.1-degree north latitude and 92 degree east longitude in North Andamans Islands.