Sri Lanka's Tsunami death toll climbs to 30,615 Friday, January 7 2005 10:39 Hrs (IST) - World Time -
Colombo:
Sri Lanka's death toll from the deadly tsunami disaster has risen to 30,615, while the number of people made homeless decreased with many beginning to leave refugee camps, officials said yesterday (Jan 6, 2005).
Another 4,356 people were still missing, while the number of people displaced by the catastrophe had dropped sharply to 572,578 from a previous 835,028, according to Government figures.
The Government also said that 16,236 people were injured in the Tsunami, which struck on December 26.
The bodies of two foreigners were found in the East coast taking death toll of foreigners to 117.
People were leaving camps for the displaced located in schools and temples to return to their homes after repairing them, or to stay with other family members.
As relief work continued, Tamil Tiger rebels demanded the withdrawal of Government security forces from camps for the displaced in the North and East, worsening the strained relations between the two sides in recent days.
"The armed forces taking over the management of the welfare camps in the northeast would be counterproductive," said Tamil National Alliance legislator, R Sampanthan, in a letter to President Chandrika Kumaratunga.
"It would destabilise all arrangements hitherto made at the district level in the region to address the several consequences of the calamity," Sampanthan wrote.
