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One Korean has been confirmed missing and another injured after a tidal wave slammed into the Thai island of Phuket following a major earthquake on the Indonesian island of Sumatra on Sunday.
The Foreign Ministry said Sunday it has received a report from a local travel agency that a 75-year-old Korean by the name of Bae has gone missing after he was swept away by a tidal wave that had suddenly hit the beaches of Phuket at 10 a.m. Bae¡¯s 46-year-old daughter was injured and is receiving treatment at a nearby hospital. The Foreign Ministry is in contact with the local Korean legation and trying to get an understanding of the causes of the accident. It is also trying to confirm whether there were other Korean victims.
The victims and the rest of their party were on the last day of a five-day, four-night trip to Phuket and enjoying free time when the accident struck. Officials from the local travel agency said there were several tourists, including Koreans, on the beach when it was hit by the tidal wave, so it could not exclude the possibility of additional human losses. Phuket Airport has been closed, and communication has been severed in some areas.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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