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Tsunami death toll nears 145,000
The death toll from the tsunami in Asia and Africa neared 1,45,000 on Friday after hardest-hit Indonesia added more than 4,000 to its toll.
The death toll from the tsunami in Asia and Africa neared 1,45,000 on Friday after hardest-hit Indonesia added more than 4,000 to its toll.
The arrival of a radical Islamic group on the island of Sumatra, meanwhile, has raised fears of threats to foreign aid workers and troops there.
The group, Laskar Mujahidin, which was allegedly involved in Muslim-Christian fighting in another part of Indonesia years ago, has set up a relief camp in northern Sumatra, which was hardest hit by the December 26 quake and the giant waves it unleashed. The group said Friday it wouldn't interfere with the foreign relief effort and UN officials said they didn't see it as a threat. But US, Australian and South Korean officials said they were taking precautions.
Indonesia's official toll in the earthquake-tsunami disaster jumped by nearly 4,000 on Friday to 98,489, the Ministry of Social Affairs said. The government previously put its count at 94,200.
