Wednesday, December 29 2004 17:13 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Port Blair: Three days after the killer Tsunamis struck, the situation in the Andaman and Nicobar Island today (Dec 29, 2004) continued to be appalling with 10,000 people, half the population of Car Nicobar, still missing and contact yet to be established with some other islands.

"Car Nicobar has a population of 20,000 and half of them are missing," Lt Governor Ram Tapase told newsmen in Port Blair.

"Missing, however, does not mean that all of them are dead. We hope that many of them may come back. So far the body count is 309 from all over the islands," he said.

IGP, S B Deol put the number of dead and missing at 10,000.

He said, "The thrust now is on providing relief and evacuating people from the affected islands. Altogether, 1800 more would be evacuated today from Hut Bay, which has a population of 10,000, DIG Police, S V Rao said.

Contact was still to be established with a few islands like Pilomilo. Aerial surveys were being made to assess the situation there, he said.

Drinking water and food were air-dropped on Katcha, Chowra and the Nancowry islands.

Unified Command sources here said 13 naval ships were on rescue and relief work in the Hut Bay, Kamorta, Campbell Bay, Katcha, Chowra and the Nancowry islands.

Commander-in-Chief, Unified Command, Andaman and Nicobar Lt General B S Thakur visited Katcha and Nancowry islands to supervise operations, the sources said.