STOCKHOLM, Sweden _ On hundreds of Web sites worldwide the messages were brief: "Missing: Christina Blomee in Khao Lak," or simply "Where are you?" Some notes gave nothing more than names, ages and nationalities. Others listed locations where loved ones were last seen.
With news of the quake-driven tidal waves that inundated coastal areas on the Indian Ocean on Sunday, family members and friends have sought information any way they could, launching Web sites, posting pictures and sending text messages about the thousands of people missing.
The death toll from the disaster so far stands at 76,700, and the International Red Cross said it could surpass 100,000.
Web sites hosting discussions and blogs have become virtual announcement boards for the lost and found, with people seeking information about family and friends that may have been caught by the tsunamis that swamped shorelines in Asia and Africa.
"Does anyone have news of my colleague Chuck Kearcik and his wife Melinda and children Candice and Charlie?" Andy of Kuwait City asked on the BBC's Web site, saying the four U.S. citizens lived in Kuwait and were vacationing in the Maldives.
Cheryl Boehm, of Houston, Texas, asked for help finding her father, U.S. citizen Jesse L. Adams, who lives on South Pattaya Beach, Thailand. "I have no way to find or communicate with him right now! Please help me find my Dad!!"
Others sent text messages by cellular phone across continents, and some mobile phones operators stopped charging for calls to and from Southeast Asia for 48 hours.
"We thought it would be a nice move from cellular phone companies," said Robert Neimanas, of Swedish group Telia's branch in Denmark.
The Swedish companies also sent text messages to their phones in Thailand asking subscribers to call their families or the Swedish Embassy.
In the Nordics, where families and friends awaited word on some 2,700 Finns, Norwegians, Swedes and Danes still missing in Asia, blogs and Internet bulletin boards were clogged with queries and pleas.
"Veronika Priebe Jakobsson and her family?They were in Thailand? Has anyone heard from them?" asked one posting on the Phuket Disaster Message Board.
Others turned to less official Internet venues as the search quickly mounted globally.
Italian Valerio Natale, 14, replaced his year-old Web site dedicated to "The Simpsons" television show with a message board for Italians searching for missing family members.
"I just wanted to help," said Natale, from the central Umbrian village of Amelia. "Everyone has to make a contribution when something like this happens." So far, he said he's received 20 queries about the missing.
Others have used the Internet to link names with photos, sometimes with a happy ending.
Swedish toddler Hannes Bergstroem was reunited with his father Wednesday, days after being found amid the wreckage in Thailand, after his uncle spotted a photo of the 18-month-old. Hannes' mother, Suzanne Bergstroem, was still among the 5,000 or so missing in that country.
Norwegian brothers Christoph and Espen Wernersen set up their own Web page, www.hjelposs.info, to help their search for brother, Ketil, his wife and their two children _ all missing in Thailand.
"The worst is not knowing," Christoph told the Oslo newspaper Dagbladet before he and his brother left for Thailand to join the search. Their Web page asks families to post pictures and details of the missing, which will be sent to the searchers, they said.
"Kripos (the Norwegian crime police) needs photographs of the missing. Kripos is in Thailand and needs information," the page says. Norway said some 900 of its citizens were missing.
Modern technology, including cell phones, also helped thousands in disaster zones contact family members with news they were OK, or send information and photos to newspapers and television stations.
Via the Internet, people have received images and information, including firsthand accounts, within minutes. Witnesses to Sunday's monster waves and destruction have posted detailed descriptions.
One site,http:// http://www.2bangkok.com, filed nonstop reports about the tidal waves, offering links to various news reports, frame grabs from Thai television and other photos found on the Internet.
Others used text messages to receive and give information.
International TV networks ran segments Monday and Tuesday showing text messages received from affected areas, many from Thailand.
Authorities also were using cell phones to track people's whereabouts. In Denmark, the National Police said Danish telecom companies would provide information about all cellular phone communications between Denmark and Thailand, Indonesia and Sri Lanka between Dec. 23 and Jan. 3.
"This will allow us to identify people and find out when and what calls they make to map their whereabouts," Niels-Otto Fisker told the AP.
Others turned to the blogosphere, not only for information, but to raise money and awareness.
One site,
http://tsunamihelp.blogspot.com , posted a spot for messages about the missing, updates on the disaster or emergency contact numbers.
The board, opened by several bloggers from Bombay, India, has contributors from around the south Asian quake zone, including one in Sri Lanka who sends updates via cellular phone, consultant Dina Mehta told AP.
"We're not really doing the relief work. It's just intended to be a house for all resources, so people don't have to run around looking everywhere," she said.
The International Red Cross has done the same thing, setting up its own Web site Wednesday to help survivors make contact. The site features sections for Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia and India, where most of the fatalities have been reported.
Most international postings come from the Nordic countries, Britain, Germany, France and the United States, particularly California, where many of the missing foreigners are from.
The Internet has also been used for fund-raising. Online giant
http://Amazon.com has asked users for donations to disaster relief, and America Online said it launched a donation site also. The company itself donated US$200,000 (€147,000) through the American Red Cross.
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