Djibouti — Nearly 200 people are feared dead or missing in Somalia's Rafi Hafun a northeastern region part of Bari (Migiurtina) days after the Tsunami struck, a situation worsened by the absence of state administration in the Horn of Africa country.

Bishop Giorgio Bertin of Djibouti and Apostolic Administrator of Mogadishu told Fides that so far, at least 150 people are feared dead.

The Bishop said that the deaths were temporary taking into account that difficulty in communication was the main challenge in that area.

"Damage in Somalia was certainly less serious than in other countries, those in Asia for example," the Bishop told Fides. The other affected areas included the old port at Mogadishu, which was seriously damaged, and the southern coast where the fury of the waters destroyed wells.

To aggravate the problem is the fact that Somalia has no state administration (the new government is still in neighboring Kenya where it was formed after peace talks), and so aid mechanisms, particularly in isolated areas like Rafi Hannun are practically non-existent. Most of the people killed or missing, according to international media, were fishermen.

The earthquake also destroyed about 18 000 homes and thousands of fishing boats, affecting some 54 000 people, according to the United Nations Office for Co-ordinating Humanitarian Affairs in Somalia.

Apart from Somalia, the tsunami killed at least one person in Kenya and ten people in Tanzania in other parts of eastern Africa.

The Djibouti Diocese held a special collection on Sunday January 9, as a sign of solidarity with the people of Somalia affected by the disaster.

"Moreover we have given 3 000 dollars to rebuild wells in southern Somalia, and not to be forgotten either is the sum of 10 000 dollars for Somalia given by the Vatican agency Cor Unum on behalf of the Pope," said Bishop Bertin.