NEW DELHI, Jan. 3 (UPI) -- Rescue workers and volunteers have given up all hopes to find any more survivors of the killer tsunami waves that lashed the coastal cities of 12 countries eight days ago, killing nearly 155,000 people and rendering millions other homeless.
Indonesian authorities Monday announced 14,000 deaths, pushing the toll in Asia's earthquake disaster to 155,000.
Indonesia is the worst hit country, accounting for 94,000 deaths from the earthquake and tsunamis that swept the country Dec. 26.
The small island nation of Sri Lanka was second worst hit, with 46,000 deaths, and India accounted for 12,000 victims. More than 6,500 are reported killed in Thailand, including more than 3,000 foreign tourists who were enjoying their Christmas holidays at Phuket beach resort city.
Hundreds others were reported dead in Myanmar, Maldives, Bangladesh and East African nations as far as Kenya and Somalia.
At least 25,000 people are reported missing in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand, including hundreds of Swedish and German tourists. All missing people are presumed to be dead as rescue workers say it is impossible for someone to survive under rubble or in the sea for eight days.
A 23-year-old Indonesian woman was rescued by a Malaysian ship after she was found floating in the ocean five days after the earthquake. But for a broken leg, the woman is safe and admitted to a hospital.
It could take several more days to find many of the bodies buried under heavy boulders and debris of devastated buildings. Health authorities have warned that the decomposing bodies can spread an epidemic among the millions of people rendered homeless by the disaster.
"Given the very difficult conditions in which people are now living, it seems very, very likely that we're going to get some increases in disease and therefore death," said Dr. David Nabarro, executive director of Sustainable Development and Healthy Environments for the WHO.
In Indonesia, the largest number of deaths were reported on the west coast of Aceh Province on the island of Sumatra -- closest to the ground zero of the Dec. 26 quake that measured 9.0 on the Richter scale. The quake launched giant tsunamis, which means harbor waves in Japanese, lashing coastal cities of 12 nations as far as Kenya and Somalia.
Scores of aftershocks have followed the quake -- the strongest since 1964. Many survivors cannot return to their dilapidated homes due to the string aftershocks.
There have been some reports of looting, rape and child molestation of the survivors of the disaster during the initial stages of unsupervised rescue operation. Several foreigners' homes in Thailand coastal regions were found to be empty after the rescue operation.
Several rape crimes have been reported from across the affected nations, including a gang rape of an unidentified 17-year-old girl in Sri Lanka. International agencies say the orphans face a dark future.
If the tsunamis were the biggest quake in 40 years, the relief operation that followed is no less. People from all over the world have launched the biggest ever rescue and relief operation with more and more governments joining hands to help the survivors rebuild their lives.
More than $2.3 billion in aid has been pledged, with Japan donating $500 million and becoming the single largest donor. The United States has agreed to contribute $350 million. Washington also sent helicopters to Sri Lanka to help distribute aid material to remote areas, many of which are still clogged by water and debris.
Michael Elmquist, a deputy to the head of the U.N.'s Office of Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said: "It's the greatest and biggest aid effort in the world -- a scale never tried before."
Besides taking care of its own survivors, India has launched a $25 million relief program for neighboring Sri Lanka, where 11 Indian ships were dispatched with relief material and doctors. India has also sent engineers to Sri Lanka to help rebuild the devastated regions.
India has declined international aid, saying it is capable of handling the crisis on its own.
Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra told CNN that his country too did not need financial help but was appreciative of expertise and equipment.
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and U.S. President George W. Bush's brother, Florida Governor Jeb Bush, and other U.S. officials are in Southeast Asia to visit the devastated areas for a firsthand assessment.
The U.S. officials are among dozens of world leaders who will participate in the Jan. 6 donor summit being held in Jakarta. U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan will be there as well.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and other world leaders including European Commission President Jose Barroso and Development Aid Commissioner Louis Michel will attend the summit. Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker will represent the 25 EU governments.
The White House announced Monday that President Bush and two former Presidents, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton, will make joint appeals to Americans to contribute to help the quake victims.
For now, the aid workers are working around the clock to provide food and shelter to millions of people despite bad road conditions coupled with the inclement weather that has caused flash floods.
India and Thailand have separately approved their plans to install tsunami warning systems, since most of the affected countries were taken by surprise by the killer waves that devastated the Indian Ocean coastal cities for the fist time.
