Hundreds of bloated bodies were fished out of the waters of northern Papua New Guinea yesterday, as officials predicted the final death toll from a tidal wave could pass 3,000.
Television channels showed bodies washed up on the sand and littering the shore, with more than 700 dead counted by yesterday afternoon. Rescuers said there were hundreds more decomposing in the tropical heat in the sea and on a 30-km stretch of devastated coast.
Rescue leaders at the scene said there could be between 1,000 and 2,000 dead from Friday night's disaster, when two earthquakes were followed by a 10-metre high tidal wave.
Papua New Guinea's government was co-ordinating relief efforts. The Prime Minister, Mr Bill Skate, left for the remote region in West Sepik province, around 850 km north of the capital, Port Moresby.
Australian armed forces led the major international relief operation to get food and medicine to the devastated area. At least 6,000 people are estimated to have been left homeless. Many of the dead were children and the elderly.
Survivors fled to the bush fearing a second wave and this made the toll more difficult to estimate.
Witnesses said the tsunami - its name comes from the Japanese for harbour and wave - sounded "like a jet engine" as it roared into the coast. It was triggered by two major earthquakes under the Pacific. The first was measured by monitoring stations at 7.0 on the Richter scale. A weaker second quake followed 20 minutes later.
The villages, built on a narrow strip of land sandwiched between the sea and Sissano lagoon, were swept into the lagoon. Mr Jerry Apuan, a fisherman from Aitape, said he could not count all the bodies in the water. Mr John Moipu, of the Aitape Catholic mission, estimated the toll could rise to 2,000, saying the dead were being buried as they were decomposing quickly in the heat.