Damage to India 'more than $1bn'

A family in Nagappattinam, one of the worst affected areas of Tamil Nadu

The financial cost to the Indian mainland from December's devastating tsunami is more than $1bn, the government says.

Costs to the remote Andaman and Nicobar Islands are still being assessed.

The southern state of Tamil Nadu on the mainland has suffered the worst damage, incurring losses at some $580m, officials say.

The government has defended its relief efforts. It says its response to the disaster was "extremely prompt".

"We are confident that we have the capabilities and resources to overcome it," Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran said.

The official death toll for all of India stands at 9,691, with thousands still missing.

Unlike neighbouring Sri Lanka, the government has rejected offers of help from foreign governments, although it is accepting aid from foreign aid agencies.

'Costs immense'

As well as Tamil Nadu, the other badly hit areas of the mainland were the states of Andhra Pradesh and Kerala and the territory of Pondicherry.

RECONSTRUCTION COSTS Tamil Nadu - $613m Kerala - $305m Andhra Pradesh - $162m Pondicherry - $115m Andamans - still being assessed (Source: Indian government)

The BBC's Daniel Lak in Tamil Nadu says the main expense there will be rebuilding homes and buildings along the coast, most of which were completely destroyed or made uninhabitable.

"The cost of repairing or replacing about 15,000 fishing boats is bound to be immense," he says.

The Indian government says getting the fishing communities earning a living again is a top priority, so no expense will be spared.

Officials hope to get Tamil Nadu's fishing fleets fully operation again within six months.

Our correspondent says it is generally thought that restoring livelihoods as quickly as possibly is better and less costly than maintaining an area on long-term relief.

India has said it does not want foreign aid, but the country usually does accept loans at low interest rates.

Our correspondent says the aid operation in Tamil Nadu seems to be going well enough, with enough resources to meet people's immediate needs.

Long-term rebuilding may be a different story, with costs more difficult to estimate and a lot of unforeseen expenses.