Timing of mortality among internally displaced persons due to the tsunami in Sri Lanka: cross sectional household survey.

Objective: To describe the distribution of mortality among internally displaced persons during two and a half months after the Indian Ocean tsunami, 2004.
Design: Cross sectional household survey with retrospective cohort analysis of mortality.
Setting: Camps for internally displaced persons due to the tsunami in an eastern coastal district of Sri Lanka.
Participants: 3533 people from 859 households accommodated in 13 camps.
Main Outcome Measures: All cause death and number of missing people.
Results: 446 deaths and 11 missing people were reported after the 2004 tsunami, of which most (99%) occurred on the day of the tsunami or within three days thereafter. No deaths were reported for the two and a half month period starting one week after the tsunami.
Conclusions: Most mortality after the 2004 tsunami occurred within the first few days of the disaster and was low in the study area.