By Ryu Jin
Staff Reporter


South Korea continued its efforts to search for its nationals that went missing after the Asian tsunamis and relieve the victims, as the death toll on Friday remained at eight, with 10 others still reported missing.

The government held an inter-ministerial disaster mitigation meeting early in the morning to discuss ways to fortify rescue and relief efforts at home and in the tsunami-affected areas. A military plane loaded with relief goods headed for Sri Lanka.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said the casualty toll had remained unchanged since last night, with eight confirmed dead and another 10 still missing. But the number of travelers, with whom their relatives have lost contact, had fallen from 654 to 585 after some had contacted their families by telephone or other means of communication.

For continued efforts to deal with the aftermath of tragedy, the government sent more personnel and materials to the tsunami-hit areas, including Thailand’s southern resort island of Phuket, where a number of Korean tourists fell victim to the waves.

Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Choi Young-jin, who arrived in Phuket last night, is leading scores of officials working at the emergency center set up after the catastrophe.

Early in the morning, the government sent a C-130 military transport plane to Sri Lanka carrying 7 tons of medical supplies, four epidemic control personnel and four other officials from nongovernmental organizations. The government plans to send more transports, which are likely be used for bringing the bodies of the victims in Phuket back to the country.

Officials said more personnel and volunteers for relief operations will be sent in the coming days to help not only the South Korean victims but also local sufferers in hard-hit nations, including Thailand, Sri Lanka and Indonesia.

``There will be more than 70 government officials, including diplomats and rescuers, in those tsunami-hit countries by tomorrow,’’ Lee Kyu-hyung, the ministry’s spokesman, told reporters.

Tidal waves from a massive undersea earthquake smashed into coastlines across South Asia on Sunday, washing away whole villages in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and India and dragging holiday-makers out to sea at tourist havens in Thailand.

The Asian tsunami death toll had soared above 125,000 as of Friday, according to reports released by relevant authorities, but aid agencies warned many more could die in epidemics, ushering in a somber New Year’s eve for the world.

South Korea pledged to offer a total of $5 million (5.17 billion won) for relief and rehabilitation efforts, joining the international movement sending relief funds to the tragedy-stricken countries.

jinryu@koreatimes.co.kr