Lord Have Mercy

Magnitude 8.9 Earthquake in Indonesia. I have only read about such powerful earthquakes in history. Tens of thousands of people must have died because of this massive shock. It hit Indonesia, the most populous Muslim country on Earth. The tidal waves would have assaulted the thousands of islands of Indonesia and many countries surrounding it. The death toll is going to rise tremendously over the next few days.

Sri Lanka and India hit badly as well. India is sending, at least, six ships to Indonesia with much needed supplies like blankets, food, water, and medicine. The death toll stands at 5,000 right now.

Update: The Command Post has roundups from dozens of places.  The death toll is now at 9,000.  More links at Instapundit.

Update: The U.S. offers aid to the tsunami-hit nations. The death toll now is at 12,000.