A new figure makes headlines everyday as more and more bodies are being recovered days after tsunami ravaged coastal regions of south Asian countries. But the death toll is expected to continue to rise over the next few days as more bodies are being retrieved by the relief agencies from the mud and wreckage.
At present, Asia's tsunami death toll has soared above 125,000 as millions struggle to find food and clean water amidst rumours of fresh tidal waves.
Among the hardest hit is Indonesia with nearly 80,000 dead. The toll could rise further as relief operation get underway in the worst affected Aceh province.
In Sri Lanka over 27,000 people have been killed, and the nation says it will need over a billion dollars to rebuild the lives of those affected.
In India the official toll stands at over 7,000 dead, but unofficial estimates say it could be as high as 12,000. Its government has already sounded 48-hour tsunami alert after another aftershock was felt in Indonesia on Thursday.
Among the other nations, 2394 have been reported dead in Thailand, 120 in Somalia, 90 in Myanmar, 67 in Maldives, 65 in Malaysia, 10 in Tanzania, two in Bangladesh and one each in Seychelles and Kenya.
An estimated five million people have been displaced by the tsunami and are at risk across the region, WHO said.
The global health body said between one and three million of those affected were in Indonesia, with another one million in Sri Lanka. The rest were spread between India, the Maldives and other nations.
Outbreaks of disease, including dysentery have been reported in some Sri Lankan relief camps. The UN warned more children could die from diarrhoea in the next weeks than those who were killed by the tsunami.
Health experts working with WHO warned the risk of disease had increased substantially, with diarrhoeal diseases, respiratory infections, malaria and dengue fever being particular threats.
