THAILAND: Most of the missing Irish were on Phi-Phi Island. Clifford Coonan returned there yesterday.
The main search for missing bodies on Phi-Phi Island is winding down and the focus now turns to clearing the wreckage, but relief workers say they still expect to find more bodies on the southern Thai resort island.
A Greek rescue worker called Kostas was rushing to catch his boat off this hellish island, which has been completely devastated by the tsunamis.
"There were 10,000 people on the beach that day, the beach was full. We've found 650 bodies but there are many missing. There are many, many bodies in the sea," he said as he clambered aboard the boat from the temporary jetty in Ton Sai Bay.
Ton Sai village is composed of a beachfront, completely wiped out in the St Stephens' Day tsunamis, and two pedestrian walkways which until that day formed a lively hub of Internet cafes, scuba diving shops, bars and restaurants.
One of those pubs is Jordan's Irish Pub. There is an eerie silence in the place now, the area is deserted and strewn with wreckage. A sign above the entrance says Merry Christmas and you get a sense of an early morning Christmas party being rudely interrupted by the wave, which has turned the bar area upside down.
No bodies have turned up on Phi-Phi in the last two days, says one rescue worker.
Three Irish people were on Phi-Phi Island on the day the wave struck, while a fourth was on the beach at Khao Lak. Of the four Irish missing, one has been identified - Ms Eilis Finnegan. Her boyfriend, Dublin businessman Mr Barry Murphy, was expected to fly home with her remains yesterday.
Still missing are Ms Lucy Coyle from Killiney, Mr Conor Keightley from Co Tyrone and Mr Michael Murphy from Co Wexford.
Bodies recovered on Phi-Phi Island are brought to a temporary morgue on the mainland at Krabi. Ireland's ambassador to Thailand, Mr Dan Mulhall, has spent many tiring days with Irish relatives going through the gathered photographs and evidence there to help them find their loved ones.
This is where Ms Finnegan's remains were identified and other relatives are heading there today to see if they can locate their loved ones among the remains.
Ms Coyle (29) went to Thailand with her boyfriend, Briton Mr Sean Sweetman. They were staying at the Phi-Phi Princess resort and their relatives are still looking for their remains.
Mr Keightley was also holidaying on Phi-Phi when the disaster struck and his relatives were due to travel to Krabi to see if they can find him.
The remaining Irish victim, Mr Michael Murphy, was on Khao Lak, in Phangnga province.
When I came to Phi-Phi last week, our boat had to steer around the shipwrecks in Ton Sai bay and there were scores of bodies wrapped in white plastic piled up high on a landing craft at the jetty.
Britain's Foreign Secretary, Mr Jack Straw, is due to visit the island on Friday.
The streets are still completely covered in debris. I spotted a copy of the Marian Keyes novel Angels, lying in the wreckage.
A group of Thai marines are inspecting the damage.
"We're not completely finished the rescue work, now we are trying to clear the island. We think there may still be some bodies and we will keep trying to find them," says Rear Admiral Ekachai of the crack regiment.
"This is sad. So sad. We never thought this could happen," he adds, before moving on smartly with the rest of the marines.
Things take a slightly surreal turn when I bump into two men calling "Kitty, kitty", pushing a trolley containing a cat. It's Thailand's Foundation for Stray Dogs looking for animals, a reminder that the tsunamis have had an impact on every area of life.
"We want to rescue the animals - dogs, cats, chickens, whatever - and take them back to Bangkok.
"So far we've rescued 100 cats and one dog. The cats predicted the tsunamis, they ran up the hills and that's the reason so many survived," says Rojnirun Kiatisak, president of the animal welfare group. He has a big job ahead - there are cats all over the place.
It is feared that many of the dead on Phi-Phi Island may never be found or identified. Hundreds of tourists were suffocated or swept out to sea.