An Acehnese man walks through debris near the Great Mosque in Banda Aceh, Indonesia.
BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (CNN) — The latest death toll from the Asian tsunami has risen dramatically to more than 61,000 after Indonesian authorities found mass destruction in the province of Aceh.
Aceh is closest to the undersea earthquake’s epicenter and the province’s capital is described as largely destroyed.
Indonesia’s death toll now stands above 32,000, the Ministry of Health in Jakarta said on Wednesday.
More countries are reporting casualties from the killer waves, spawned by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake that struck off the western-most portion of the northern Indonesian island of Sumatra early on Sunday.
The devastation stretches from Thailand to East Africa, where the United Nations reports that entire villages have been washed away.
Officials could not reach Indonesia’s Aceh province until Tuesday, and once there, they found scenes much worse than they imagined.
Reports say that 80% of Banda Aceh was devasteated after the tsunami struck the town on Sunday morning.
“The center of Banda Aceh has been absolutely devastated,” said CNN’s Mike Chinoy from the provincial capital.
“There are still bodies lying in the street.”
Graph made by myself using Excel, shows how the death toll increases dramitically over the past 4 days. *Click thumbnail to view the full version. Free to download and mail it around.
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