Turkey says 53 nationals unaccounted for after Asia disaster

ANKARA, Dec 29 (AFP) - Turkey on Wednesday raised to 53 the number of its nationals who remain unaccounted for after the tidal wave disaster in Asia.
The Turkish authorities are still looking for 34 nationals in Thailand, four in Malaysia, three each in India, the Maldives, Myanmar and Sri Lanka, two in Singapore and one in Indonesia, foreign ministry spokesman Namik Tan said.
The number had stood at 41 on Tuesday.
Most of the people who remain unaccounted for went to the region as tourists, while a small number worked either as diving instructors or in hotels and travel agencies, officials say.
Late on Tuesday, 13 Turkish survivors were brought back home from the Maldives on a special plane dispatched by the government.
No Turkish citizens have so far been reported dead since Sunday's disaster, whose death toll in 11 countries surged past 60,000 on Wednesday, amid warnings that the true figure could be far higher.

12/29/2004 11:00 GMT - AFP