Relief and rescue measures may be on in Tamil Nadu's Nagapattinam district, but they are far from satisfactory.

"The district administration has been on its own" ever since the waves struck on Sunday, a senior bureaucrat told rediff.com on condition of anonymity on Thursday.

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"It is a huge disaster. I have seen cyclones and earthquakes, but they were small compared to what happened here," he said.

The officer put the toll at around 2,500. "But it is likely to be a lot more, around 3500-4000. They are still digging out bodies," he said.

"Now, for a disaster of this magnitude, the Central and state governments should have deputed a large number of IAS officers with powers to procure relief material. They should have in turn called voluntary organisations for support. For the general population there should have been some support," he said.

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He was also critical that the medical and rescue teams did not reach in time. "Medical teams reached on the third day of the disaster. Rescue teams reached the spots on Sunday evening. That is late," he said.

Four hundred doctors and post-graduate students are working to heal the injured, he said.

He also said that a meeting should have been held between government officials and aid agencies and non-government organisation and "they should have been asked to take up relief work in specified areas. That has not been done nor does the state government seem to have any intention of doing something like that."

Pictures: Despair, anguish and hope...