The Death Toll ...

We may never know exactly how many people were killed in the earthquake that struck off Sumatra and the tsunamis that swept through the Indian Ocean. Some areas are so remote that air surveillance reports on them are only now coming in. Official reports from the region now suggest that at least 115,000 people have died in the area, but this report from Indonesia indicates that as many as 400,000 lives may have been lost there alone. Some islands off the west coast of Sumatra apparently have disappeared. Whole towns elsewhere in the area have been simply flattened and wiped away. Voluntary contributions at Amazon.com now top $10,000,000. Please do make a contribution there or elsewhere.