Tsunami leaves 3,200 dead in India alone

Giant Tsunami tidal waves set off by a massive earthquake in Indonesia, the worst in 40 years, today unleashed a trail of death and destruction in South and South East Asia killing 8,500 people, including over 3,200 in India alone, and leaving tens of thousands homeless.

Tamil Nadu bore the brunt of the nature's fury with 1,725 people losing their lives in the state and Andaman and Nicobar, closest to Sumatra coast, the epicentre of the 8.9 magnitude quake on the Richter Scale, was also equally badly hit accounting for 1,000 deaths and suffering extensive damage.

What began as minor tremors at 6.28 AM on a lazy Sunday turned out to be a nightmare for the entire southeastern coastal belt and Kerala on the southwest coast where 109 people lost their lives.

Pondicherry, also on the east coast neighbouring Tamil Nadu, reported a toll of 280 people--211 in Karaikal enclave and 69 in Pondicherry. In Andhra Pradesh, 69 people were killed. West Bengal and Orissa were lucky to escpae unscathed.

Nagapatinnam, the small port town of Tamil Nadu, was the worst hit as 900 people lost their lives while Kanyakumari in the land's end reported 400 casualties.

Chennai city, where morning walkers were doing their daily chore along the Marina Beach and residents close to the coast were caught unaware by the tidal waves rising up to 30-40 feet, accounted for 125 deaths.

About 5,500 people, including 3,000 in Sri Lanka alone, perished as the tidal waves battered the coasts of Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and the Maldives.