DEVASTATING

Indonesia Tsunami: Over 2,000 People Now Confirmed Dead

Rescue mission will be called off later this week.

The scale of the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia keeps growing with the death toll having now risen to over 2,000 people. The country's disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said Tuesday that the toll had climbed to 2,010, but the true number of deaths caused by the disaster may never be known. Nugroho said the search for thousands of victims feared buried in mud and rubble will be called off Thursday. Authorities will hold prayers to mark the end of the search in the Petobo, Balaroa and Jono Oge areas. The search will end, said Nugroho, because the advanced state of decomposition made the bodies unidentifiable and could cause contamination.

NATURAL DISASTER

10-Foot Tsunami Destroys Homes on Indonesian Island