An official document posted in Banda Aceh, Indonesia gives the toll of dead and missing approaching 210,000. This boosts the total to about 272,000 over the entire Indian Ocean region inundated by the earthquake/tsunami of December 26, 2004.
Relief efforts continue despite growing Indonesian government restrictions placed on those operations. Three decades of military dictatorship ended in 1998. However, Free Aceh Movement separatists remain active.
Officials presented no explanation for the significant casualty increase from earlier in the week. At that time the figures were 108,000 dead, 48,000 missing and presumed dead.
