Relief operations were launched on Monday on a massive scale in the areas hit by tsunami tidal waves as the toll rose rapidly to 6,800 in India alone following recovery of scores of bodies in Tamil Nadu and Andamans.

The overall figure across Asia hit 22,000.

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Tamil Nadu reported a toll of 3,200 with the worst-hit Nagapattinam accounting for 1,700 deaths, followed by Kanniyakumari at 525, Cuddalore 400 and Chennai city 200.

Rains hindered relief work in Nagapattinam. The scale of tragedy in the far-flung Andaman and Nicobar islands also came to light on Monday with more than 3,000 reported.

In Kerala the toll is 138, while in Andhra Pradesh it is 77.

The state governments and the Centre launched massive relief operations engaging defence forces and aircraft and ships to reach food, blankets, medicines and other material to people in the affected areas.

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Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced in Delhi a relief of Rs 1 lakh to the next of the kin of each of those killed in these states from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund.

Prime Minister Singh will visit the tsunami-hit areas of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Pondicherry and Kerala on Tuesday.

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Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Air Chief S Krishnaswamy are touring Andaman and Nicobar islands to co-ordinate relief work there.

"Arrangements have been made from different places and aicraft have been pressed into service, carrying the relief materials, persons for rescue and relief operations," Mukherjee told reporters in Delhi.

The toll in the Andamans has climbed to more than 3000 with worst hit Car Nicobar and the Nancowrie group of islands still inaccessible.

"More than 3000 persons have been killed, it is now confirmed and the casualties may go up," the IGP, Andaman and Nicobar Island, S B Deol told PTI.

Powerful aftershocks measuring six on the Richter Scale rocked the islands today at around 6.20am.

The Crisis Management Group met in Delhi to review the emergency relief and rehabilitation operations being carried out by the armed forces and the civilian administration in the tidal-wave hit areas of coastal India.

There were fears of epidemic in Nagapattinam and Cuddalore district, but officials said they were prepared to face the situation.

BJP president L K Advani visited parts of Chennai to assess the situation and console the people who lost their near and dear ones.

Meanwhile, an Indian ship carrying medicines and relief supplies has reached Galle in Sri Lanka.