Tsunami Death Count in Dispute

The Health Ministry declared Wednesday that more than 70,000 people it had listed as missing in last month’s tsunami were dead, but other government agencies disagreed with the huge increase in the estimated number of dead.

If the Health Ministry figures become official, the overall tsunami death toll in 11 countries would climb to more than 221,100, including 166,320 in Indonesia.

The count differed sharply from other Indonesian government tallies, however. The Social Affairs Ministry has been keeping a count that on Wednesday stood at 114,978 dead.

The National Coordination Agency for Disaster Relief gave an even lower number. In a statement, it listed more than 89,000 dead and 132,000 as missing.

It may eventually have the final word.

“At a Cabinet meeting last week, the government recognized that there are at least three different agencies providing us with the estimates of the number of dead, missing and homeless,” Minister for National Development Planning Sri Mulyani Indrawati told lenders Wednesday. “Now the government is trying to reconcile and will come up with only one source of estimates.”

She said the disaster agency would be the sole source of data on casualties from the tsunami. If so, the widely used numbers from the Social Affairs Ministry would be undercut.

Officials have cautioned that compiling accurate figures for the dead and missing is almost impossible, and that there may never be a definitive toll.

Associated Press has used the Social Affairs Ministry count for its tally. The news agency gives a combined death toll of at least 162,228. The United Nations on Tuesday listed 165,493.

Indonesia is not the only country confused by the count. In Sri Lanka, the Public Security Ministry and National Disaster Management Center have reported tolls of 38,195 and 30,920, respectively. The AP total is based on the disaster center’s number.

The debate came the same day that Japan issued a brief tsunami warning because of a magnitude 6.8 earthquake off its eastern coast, sending a scare through the vast zone still struggling to recover from the Dec. 26 disaster.

But officials said the waves generated were less than a foot high and posed little danger.

Japan’s meteorological agency said the quake was centered 190 miles south of Tokyo and was hardly felt in the capital. There were no reports of damage or injuries.