|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
| Tuesday, 28 December 2004 |
 |
|
 |
News | |
| News Business Features Editorial Security Politics World Letters Sports Obituaries
|
by Anjana Gamage Seventy foreign tourists have been confirmed dead and a large number reported missing or injured in Sunday's tidal wave disaster according to Tourist Board Sources. "A large number of foreigners who were vacationing in Sri Lanka especially in the Southern Coastal area have been affected, an Official of the Sri Lanka Tourist Board told the " Daily News". "According to the details 70 tourists have been killed," the official added. Among them were 16 Japanese tourists who were on a safari tour in Yala. According to unofficial sources, the whereabouts of another group of tourists who had been visiting Willpattu during the week-end are unknown. Sources also said that at least four major tourist hotels in the Southern Coastal belt have been totally destroyed while several small rest houses in the area too have been damaged. A spokesman for the Tourism Ministry said that around 12,000 tourists were vacationing during the weekend in the affected areas. The source said that 600 tourists who had been trapped in the disaster hit areas were evacuated to Colombo by the authorities and were now sheltered in the several city hotels and also at the BMICH. "We are doing our best and working round the clock and are now preparing their travel plans to send them back to their countries," a spokeswoman to the SLTB said. Meanwhile, an emergency Action Committee had been set up by the Ministry of Tourism under the leadership of Ministry's Secretary Dr. P. Ramanujam. Chairman of SLTB Udaya Nanayakkara, Director General of SLTB S. Kalaiselvam, Legal Advisor to the Tourism Minister Ananda Kasthuriarachchi, Chairman of Hotel Association and the Association of Sri Lanka Inbound Tourists and Travels are the other members of the Committee. The Committee is working hard to communicate with the relevant Ministries, travel companies, and tourist hotels to ascertain the number of tourist casualties and to pass on the information to the respective High Commissions/Embassies for speedy action. The committee will also ascertain the extent of damage by the disaster to the tourist industry and the possibility of securing Government assistance to effect a speedy recovery. |
|
News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security
Produced by Lake House |
