Sick, hungry survivors cram makeshift shelters

Carita (Indonesia): Desperately needed aid flowed into a stretch of Indonesia's tsunami-struck coastline Tuesday, but humanitarian workers warned that clean water and medicine supplies were dwindling as thousands crammed makeshift evacuation centres.

Fears about a public health crisis come as the death toll from Saturday's volcano-triggered disaster rose to nearly 400 with thousands more displaced from flattened homes.

"A lot of the children are sick with fevers, headaches and they haven't had enough water," said Rizal Alimin, a doctor working for NGO Aksi Cepat Tanggap, at a local school that was turned into a temporary shelter.

"We have less medicine than usual...It's not healthy here for evacuees. There isn't enough clean water. They need food and people are sleeping on the floor." The powerful tsunami struck at night and without warning, sweeping over popular beaches on southern Sumatra and western Java and inundated tourist hotels and coastal settlements.

The latest death toll stood at 373, with 1,459 people injured and another 128 missing.

Experts have warned that more deadly waves could slam the stricken region.

Many of the more than 5,000 evacuees are too afraid to return home, fearing another disaster.

"I've been here three days," said Neng Sumarni, 40, who was sleeping with her three children and husband on the school's floor with some three dozen others.