MFAT searching for 700 New Zealanders

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) is today working its way through a list of 700 New Zealanders reported to be in areas of southeast Asia devastated by a massive tsunami.

Foreign Minister Phil Goff said today MFAT staff were contacting local authorities and police in the affected areas to determine the whereabouts and safety of New Zealanders.

"We're overwhelmingly confident that those people will be found," he said.

Most of the New Zealanders on MFAT's list were tourists in the popular southern Thailand resort of Phuket where former Kapiti Coast woman Leone Cosens yesterday became the first confirmed New Zealand casualty.

Ms Cosens had been living in Thailand for 12 years and was travelling with her family when she was killed.

The most powerful earthquake in 40 years, measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale, struck in the Indian Ocean Sunday morning and triggered tidal waves that slammed into coastlines across Asia killing thousands of people in Sri Lanka, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, Thailand and the Maldives.

The latest estimates in a rising toll are that more than 22,700 people have been killed.

Mr Goff said a New Zealand man was in a hospital in Chennai, South India with a broken ankle and MFAT had received recent reports that there were New Zealanders injured in the Thailand beach resort of Krabi but details were unavailable.

MFAT yesterday set up an information hotline which has received more than 830 calls in the past 24 hours from people concerned about relatives and friends in southeast Asia.

Precise numbers of New Zealand tourists were not available because they were not required to register with MFAT's diplomatic posts, Mr Goff said.

The Government was liaising with Australia to provide logistical support and was considering deploying an Air Force C-130 Hercules to deliver supplies.

"An agreement has been made with the New Zealand Red Cross to send $500,000 for immediate assistance to be used in the areas which are most in need," he told National Radio.

Sri Lanka, where 10,000 people are dead and 1.5 million have been left homeless, was the top the priority.

"We're also looking at what we can do bilaterally through programmes within countries such as Indonesia."

MFAT had two officers "on the ground" in Phuket who were working alongside a New Zealand Police liaison officer.

"We have also set up a reception desk at the airport in Bangkok because people coming out of Phuket will be coming through Bangkok and many won't have their possessions with them, they would have lost them."

The Thai Government was assisting New Zealanders with support and accommodation, Mr Goff said.

MFAT spokesman Jonathan Schwass said the call centre managing the hotline had been under heavy pressure.

"We apologise for some delays in calls being answered but every available resource is being put onto the job," he said in a statement.

People having trouble getting through were advised to keep trying when the hotline reopened at 8am.

The airport in Phuket was open and commercial flights were operating, Mr Schwass said.

Call for help

To make a donation Red Cross: 0900 31 100 to make $20 donations

Christian World Service: 0800 74 73 72, PO Box 22-652, Christchurch

Oxfam: phone donations 0800 600 700

TEAR Fund: 0800 800 777

World Vision: 0800 80 2000

Caritas: 0900 411 11 for $20 donations, PO Box 12-193 Wellington

To inquire about relatives Ministry of Foreign Affairs: 0800 432 111

- NZPA