Over a billion euros spent on tsunami aid: Red Cross

Three years on from the December 26 Indian Ocean tsunami, the International Red Cross said Wednesday that 1.2 billion euros (1.7 billion dollars) of aid will have helped almost four million people come the year-end.
According to its tsunami three-year progress report, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has spent two thirds of monies raised to support communities devastated by the giant wave which killed 220,000 in the Bay of Bengal.
"Right across the region, we're seeing real progress," Jerry Talbot, IFRC special representative for tsunami recovery, was quoted by AFP as saying. "Thousands of houses are being built, along with schools, hospitals and clinics.