How Many Souls Have Perished?

Although Jonah Goldberg at NRO asks the reasonable question (in so many words), "How Can We Know?" (read Jonah's comments on the other factors at play in the disaster vis-a-vis the War On Terror), I think Matt Drudge has done a service in taking a step back and looking at the larger question of the mind-numbing body counting.

[Indonesia's Ambassador to Malaysia Drs H. Rusdihardjo] said the estimate was based on air surveillance by Indonesian authorities who found no signs of life in places like Meulaboh, Pulau Simeulue and Tapak Tuan while several islands off the west coast of Sumatera had "disappeared".

If areas and regions have been obliterated, and complete islands have disappeared, shouldn't we stop the body counting box scores for a bit (not that Drudge will of course)?