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Tree stumps and debris remain on Karaikal beach several years after the 2004 tsunami. The tsunami reached the states of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu along the southeastern coastline of the Indian mainland about 2 hours after the earthquake.
Sep 16, 2024 · Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004, tsunami that hit the coasts of several countries of South and Southeast Asia in December 2004. The tsunami and its aftermath were responsible for immense destruction and loss on the rim of the Indian Ocean.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
- The magnitude of the earthquake that caused the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 was 9.1.
- On December 26, 2004, an undersea earthquake struck off the coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. This quake caused the Indian Ocean tsunami o...
- The Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 lasted for seven hours and reached out across the Indian Ocean, devastating coastal areas of Indonesia, Sri Lanka,...
- The Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 killed at least 225,000 people across a dozen countries, with Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Maldives, and Thailand...
Dec 26, 2004 · The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake occurred at 00:58:53 UTC on 26 December, with an epicenter off the west coast of northern Sumatra. It was an undersea megath...
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The tsunami was the deadliest in recorded history, taking 230,000 lives in a matter of hours.
It was 2004, the day after Christmas, and thousands of European and American tourists had flocked to the beaches of Thailand, Sri Lanka and Indonesia to escape the winter chill in a tropical paradise.
At 7:59 AM, a 9.1-magnitude earthquake—one of the largest ever recorded—ripped through an undersea fault in the Indian Ocean, propelling a massive column of water toward unsuspecting shores. The Boxing Day tsunami would be the deadliest in recorded history, taking a staggering 230,000 lives in a matter of hours.
The city of Banda Aceh on the northern tip of Sumatra was closest to the powerful earthquake’s epicenter and the first waves arrived in just 20 minutes. It’s nearly impossible to imagine the 100-foot roiling mountain of water that engulfed the coastal city of 320,000, instantly killing more than 100,000 men, women and children. Buildings folded like houses of cards, trees and cars were swept up in the oil-black rapids and virtually no one caught in the deluge survived.
1 / 8: AFP/Getty Images
Thailand was next. With waves traveling 500 mph across the Indian Ocean, the tsunami hit the coastal provinces of Phang Nga and Phuket an hour and a half later. Despite the time-lapse, locals and tourists were caught completely unaware of the imminent destruction. Curious beachgoers even wandered out among the oddly receding waves, only to be chased down by a churning wall of water. The death toll in Thailand was nearly 5,400 including 2,000 foreign tourists.
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In the process, massive segments of the ocean floor were forced upward an estimated 30 or 40 meters (up to 130 feet). The effect was like dropping the world’s largest pebble in the Indian Ocean with ripples the size of mountains extending out in all directions.
Titov emphasizes that tsunamis look nothing like the giant surfing break-style waves that many of us imagine.
“It’s a wave, but from the observer’s standpoint, you wouldn’t recognize it as a wave,” Titov says. “It’s more like the ocean turns into a white water river and floods everything in its path.”
Once caught in the raging waters, if the currents don’t pull you under, the debris will finish the job.
- Dave Roos
The Indian Ocean tsunami in December 2004 struck without warning and killed thousands. See photos of the devastating destruction left in its wake.
Dec 25, 2014 · About 228,000 people were killed as a result of the 9.1 magnitude quake and the giant waves that slammed into coastlines on 26 December 2004. The violent upward thrust of the ocean floor at 07:58...
Jun 12, 2023 · On December 26, 2004, an extremely powerful earthquake off the coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra in the Indian Ocean generated a devastating tsunami. This tragic event raised awareness about the threat posed by tsunamis to coastal communities around the world and led to significant advances in tsunami detection, forecasting, warning ...
