One week after the tsunami struck southern Asia, many nations are struggling to cope with the sheer enormity of the disaster.

While some tourists who survived have gone home, others are staying on to help with the clean-up operation. In the north of Phuket in Thailand, volunteers have been working alongside specialists – preparing the dead for burial. Alex Torikian from Britain has been carrying bodies to the morgue. “Behind every body here is a family,” he said. “If it was someone in my family, I would like to know that if they were found and they were here that they were taken care of in some way.” The death toll from the tsunami stands at about 127,000, In Thailand 4,812 people are confirmed dead. About half that number are tourists.

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