216,000 dead or missing

At least 216,000 people were killed or disappeared in the tsunami of Dec. 26, 2004, according to an assessment by The Associated Press of government and credible relief agency figures in the dozen countries affected. The United Nations puts its total at 223,492 dead and missing, but notes that some figures are still being updated and that some countries haven't always distinguished between those killed and those not accounted for. A definitive total will probably never be obtained. Many bodies were lost at sea and some places did not have good records of residents to allow an accurate assessment of missing people.