Tsunami death toll hits 123,000 (Guardian)

I’ve never liked the term ‘death toll’. It’s not nearly sombre enough to communicate the tragedy of large numbers of deaths. Somehow, it is emotionally lacking, and understated. We pay tolls to go over bridges and through tunnels in our cars, or even to drive in Central London, and think little of it. I wish I could suggest an alternative word for people to use instead, but I’ve not yet been able to think of one – perhaps the situation is so terrible for anybody to think of a word that can possibly convey the emotion of the event.