Minister says 10 Irish citizens were injured

IRELAND: Up to 10 Irish citizens were hospitalised or received medical attention as a result of Sunday's earthquake and tsunami in southern Asia, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Ahern, said yesterday. None of the injuries were life threatening.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Foreign Affairs said there were no reports, to date, of any Irish fatalities in the disaster.

The Department repeated its advice to Irish citizens not to travel to the Maldives or to parts of Sri Lanka or Thailand. It has received around 1,000 phone calls to the help lines it established on Sunday for people here seeking details of Irish citizens in southern Asia.

Given the number of independent travellers in the region and the fact that some countries do not require visas, the Department said that it did not have precise details on the number of Irish citizens in the affected areas.

The Department is now trying to trace all Irish citizens in affected countries. However, the process could take several days.

The Irish Ambassador to Malaysia, Mr Dan Mulhall, who is also accredited to Thailand, has gone to the island of Phuket to provide consular assistance to Irish citizens. Phuket, a popular destination for Irish holiday-makers on the west coast of Thailand, was badly hit by the tsunami.

A spokesman for Twohig Travel said a number of hotels in Phuket had been badly affected and could be closed for repairs for up to six months.

The Irish deputy head of mission in New Delhi in India, Mr Pat Bourne, is in Sri Lanka providing assistance to Irish tourists there. It is understood that a number of Irish citizens may have lost passports.

In a statement yesterday, the Department of Foreign Affairs said that the extent of the damage was not yet clear and it advised caution on travelling to parts of the region.

"Until further information on the situation becomes available, the Department of Foreign Affairs advises Irish citizens against travel to the Maldives, eastern parts of Sri Lanka and the west coast of Thailand. The Department advises people intending to travel to other tourist resorts in the region in the coming days to check with their travel operator, and if possible with the accommodation provider at their destination, before they depart."