Four Hong Kong immigration officers who were sent on Monday to Phuket, Thailand, are continuing to provide assistance to Hong Kong tourists stranded on the island.

The Hong Kong Immigration Department said Tuesday the officers had visited ten hospitals. They found that six Hong Kong residents had been discharged after treatment, while another three, who were slightly injured, were admitted.

The department's hotline received more than 900 calls Tuesday morning, including 412 cases of inquiries and 492 requests for assistance, a government spokesman said.

The first Hong Kong casualties of the tsunamis in southern Thailand have been flown home. A man and a woman arrived here Monday afternoon and were admitted into the Princess Margaret Hospital.

They were among 20 Hong Kong tourists admitted into Thai hospitals. So far, no death of Hong Kong people has been reported. Altogether, some 40 Hong Kong tour groups, comprising about 1,600 people, were holidaying in the region when the tsunamis struck.

(Xinhua News Agency December 28, 2004)