BANGKOK, Dec. 26 (Xinhuanet) -- Death toll from a suddenly-occurred tsunamis in Thailand's southern resort island on Sunday has reached 257 as rescue efforts were continuously made to minimize the damage of the calamity.

    According to government source, 257 people have been dead and more than 5,447 injured and many missing in the country's southernresort islands after tsunamis caused by a massive earthquake off Indonesia.

    Two tourists from China's Hangzhou city were among the missing people.

    Thai navy has rushed to the southern islands swept by the tidalwaves, sending out helicopters and HMS Chakrinaruebet in a bid to salvage tourists and local residents.

    Rear-Admiral Pheerasan Watcharamoon, deputy commander of the 2nd Navy Division, said that they had sent out fully-equipped ships to pick up tourists and local residents from Phi Phi and several other islands in the vicinity.

    Nearly 4,000 people still stranded on the Phi Phi island, said Admiral Surin Rerng-arom, chief of staff for the Royal Thai Navy.

    The Royal Thai Air Force has sent out two C130 aircraft with some 40 doctors, nurses and other personnel to Phuket and set up an emergency unit at the airport.

    The tsunamis were triggered Sunday morning after one of the worst earthquakes in decades centered off the coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra, rocking many parts of Asia, including India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Maldives.

    On Phuket island, Somboon Wangnaitham, deputy director of the Wachira Hospital, said one of the worst hit areas was the populousPatong beach, where more than 40 people died and 500 were injured.All shops, kiosks and hotels were damaged by the tsunamis.

    On Phang-Nga, another popular tourist site near Phuket, people even sought refuge from the floods on rooftops. The tourists said that they were relaxing on the beach when the tsunamis suddenly appeared.

    Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who were campaigning in the north-eastern region of kingdom this morning, made an urgent flight to Phuket to visit victims of disaster.

    A emergency meeting would be convened to draw up rapid reactionplans to relieve people in affected areas, said the prime minister.

    According to Thai Airways, flights to the Phuket island had been resumed following a temporary closure of its airport in the morning.

    Officials in the southern province of Trang said that they werestill unsure of the fate of 50 tourists stranded in the famous Emerald Cave when massive waves slammed into the southern coast this morning.

    The Emerald Cave on Koh Muk, another renowned tourism destinations in the southern region, has become completely inaccessible with many fishing boats being overturned and shops and houses shattered.

    Officials estimate that about 12 million tourists will visit Thailand at the end of the year, most of them stopping at the southern island and beach resorts.

    Till now, total damage from the tsunamis is still unclear. Enditem