At least 314,605 people left their homes in Aceh province following the tsunami disaster, the Indonesian health ministry said in a press release on Tuesday.

Most of the refugees were living in refugee camps in the tsunami-ravaged province of Aceh, and some others left the province.

Aid organizations believed the number of homeless people in the province was far higher than officially counted, as many survivors are still seeking shelter elsewhere, such as on roadsides.

The ministry said the death toll in provinces of Aceh and North Sumatra reached 95,000 people.

At least 1,139 people were seriously wounded and 1,609 suffered minor injury.

A powerful earthquake of 8.7 Richter degree shocked many parts of the provinces of North Sumatera and Aceh, Indonesia around 08:00 (local time) on Dec. 26, 2004, unleashing tidal wave and tsunami.

The center of the earthquake took place in Molabo, Aceh, the country's westernmost province, at 3.6 degree of North latitude and 96.28 degree of East Longitude.

The quake was the third major to hit Indonesia after Nabire in Papua on Nov. 26 which killed 17 people and Alor in East Nusa Tenggara on Nov. 12, which killed at least 27 people.

Source: Xinhua