Sunday, January 2 2005 11:12 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Nagapattinam (TN): The December 26 Tsunami attack has brought with it the problem of orphaned children besides causing untold miseries to the people of this coastal district.

More than 500 children might have rendered orphaned but the Government, which came across this problem later, had ordered a survey of this. 147 kids had been identified with their parents killed by Tsunami.

"We are keeping our fingers crossed. The figure might go up as we found on the first day of the survey itself that over 140 kids had lost their parents," an official said.

Confirming this, Thanjavur district collector, J Radhakrishnan, supervising the relief operations at Akkrapettai village in Nagapattinam town, said the social welfare department was conducting the survey.

The future is bleak for the three and half old Jayashree, whose parents perished in the Tsunami. "How can we tell her about the death of her parents," the relief camp manager said pointing out to the girl, who was seen playing.

For Shanti, a 12-year-old girl, it was a total different story as she saw her parents dying.

She was grinding masala for making 'rasam' when the tragedy struck. Her mother went out to see the waves only to be washed away, which had also taken her father, Shanthi said.

However, her brother is alive and staying with her in the relief camp.

The rural development secretary Shantha Sheela Nair told reporters that the Government would open an orphanage to accommodate these unfortunate children.