Thursday, January 20 2005 12:10 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Jakarta: The death toll from the earthquake and tsunami disaster in Indian Ocean nations rose to nearly 220,000 yesterday (Jan 19, 2005) with another 50,000 deaths being reported by Indonesia's Health Ministry.

Indonesia was hardest-hit by the December 26 quake and tsunamis, with 166,320 confirmed deaths, the Health Ministry said, raising the toll by more than 50,000 from the Government's previous tally.

Thailand's tsunami death toll crept up to 5,323 confirmed dead. The interior ministry removed 9 names from the list of people reported missing after the disaster, bringing the total to 3,115.

On the list of missing people, 2,101 are believed to be Thais and 1,014 foreigners, the Ministry's disaster management unit said in a statement.

The death toll in Sri Lanka, which was second hardest hit by the catastrophe, stood at 30,920, according to the Centre for National Operations. The number of missing has dropped to 5,565.

In India, the official death toll edged up to 10,744 with 5,669 still reported missing and feared dead.

Myanmar's Prime Minister Soe Win has said 59 people were killed in the tsunamis, against an estimated 90 deaths according to the United Nations.

At least 82 people were killed and another 26 were missing in the Maldives. Sixty-eight people were dead in Malaysia, most of them in Penang, according to police, while Bangladesh reported two deaths.

Fatalities also occurred on the east coast of Africa where 298 people were declared dead in Somalia, 10 in Tanzania and one in Kenya.