JAKARTA, Jan. 15 (Xinhuanet) -- The number of refugees in Aceh andNorth Sumatra provinces in the wake of Dec. 26 earthquake and tsunami reached 703,518 by Saturday, the Indonesian Social Service Ministry said.

    The ministry said that 27,006 refugees are sheltered in Banda Aceh, 40,295 in Aceh Besar, 90,315 in Pidie, 97,942 in North Aceh,22,000 in East Aceh, 6,430 in Aceh Tamiang, 6,125 in Aceh Jaya, 7,874 in West Aceh, 11,281 in Nagan Raya, 165,083 in Medan, 300 in Sabang, 37,947 in Bireun, 4,203 in Langsa and 1,082 in Jakarta.

    The death toll in the Dec. 26 calamity in Aceh and North Sumatra up to Saturday stood at 110,229, while 12,132 people remained missing, said the ministry.

    However, the Center for Health Problem Control at the Health Ministry put the death toll in the catastrophe in the two provinces at around 96,000 and the number of missing people at about 12,000.

    It said the disaster also displaced 609,942 people in Aceh and North Sumatra.

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