The 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami

On December 26, 2004, a magnitude 9.1 earthquake off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, triggered the deadliest tsunami in recorded history. Waves up to 30 meters high struck coastlines across the Indian Ocean, killing over 230,000 people in 14 countries. Thailand was among the worst affected: over 5,300 people died (about half of them foreign tourists), with the resort areas of Khao Lak, Phuket, and Phi Phi Island devastated. The tsunami struck without warning — no Indian Ocean warning system existed at the time. Images of the waves hitting Thai beaches were captured by tourists and broadcast worldwide, making the disaster one of the first to be extensively documented in real-time by amateur video. The international response was the largest humanitarian effort in history, raising over $14 billion. The disaster led to the creation of the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning System and transformed coastal disaster preparedness worldwide.