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The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, known by the scientific community as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake, was an undersea earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC (07:58:53 local time) on December 26, 2004. According to the United States Geological Survey, the earthquake and its tsunami killed more than 283,100 people, making it one of the deadliest disasters in modern history. The disaster is known in Asia and the media as the Asian Tsunami and also known in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the United Kingdom as the Boxing Day Tsunami because it took place on Boxing Day.
Various values were given for the magnitude of the earthquake, ranging from 9.0 to 9.3 (which would make it the second largest earthquake ever recorded on a seismograph, after the 9.5 magnitude Great Chilean Earthquake of May 22, 1960), though authoritative estimates now put the magnitude at 9.15.
In May 2005, scientists reported that the earthquake itself lasted close to ten minutes when most major earthquakes last no more than a few seconds; it caused the entire planet to vibrate at least a few
centimeters. It also triggered earthquakes elsewhere, as far away as Alaska
.
The earthquake originated in the Indian Ocean just north of Simeulue island, off the western coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia. The resulting tsunami devastated the shores of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, South India, Thailand and other countries with waves up to 30 m (100 ft). It caused serious damage and deaths as far as the east coast of Africa, with the furthest recorded death due to the tsunami occurring at Port Elizabeth in South Africa, 8,000 km (5,000 mi) away from the
epicenter.
2004 Tsunami Impact
INDONESIA
Impact: Indonesia sustained the worst human losses and physical damage in the tsunami and earthquake of 26 December, 2004. The western tip of the island of Sumatra - the closest inhabited area to the earthquake's epicenter - was devastated. Some coastal villages are thought to have lost more than 70% of inhabitants. Much of the fishing and agricultural sectors in Aceh province was heavily damaged and 44% of people lost their livelihoods, according to the Asian Development Bank.
Toll:
More than 200,000 people died, while at least 37,000 others remain
missing. The exact number of victims will probably never be known.
About 500,000 people were made homeless.
The hardest hit area, Aceh, is an Islamic society.
SRI LANKA
Impact: After Indonesia, Sri Lanka suffered more from the tsunami than anywhere else. Its southern and eastern coastlines were ravaged. More than 100,000 homes were damaged or destroyed, along with crops and fishing boats. The International Labour Organization estimates more than 400,000 people lost their jobs as a result - mostly in the fishing, hotel and tourism sectors.
Toll: More than 31,000 people died and more than 4,000 have been reported missing. More than half a million people were made homeless. In one of the worst incidents, more than 800 people died when a train was struck by the tsunami at Telwatta, in the south-west.
INDIA'S SOUTH-EAST COAST
Impact: India's south-east coast was the worst affected part of the mainland when the tsunami struck and penetrated up to 3km inland. More than 150,000 homes were damaged or destroyed in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala states, and in Pondicherry. (See below for more details on the Andaman and Nicobar islands.) More than 600km of roads and 14 bridges were damaged, according to the Asian Development Bank.
Toll: On the mainland, 8,850 people are confirmed dead - 7,983 of them in Tamil Nadu. (See below for data on the Andaman and Nicobar islands). It is estimated that almost 70,000 people are in relief camps or
centers on the mainland.
INDIA'S ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR ISLANDS
Impact: The remote islands, lying about 1,400 km from the mainland but only 100km or so from the
epicenter, suffered extensive destruction. Salt water contaminated many sources of fresh water and destroyed large tracts of arable land. Many jetties - vital for getting supplies into the islands - were destroyed.
Toll: Almost 1,900 islanders were confirmed dead from a population of some 400,000. More than 5,550 are still missing - the bulk of them from Katchall island.
THAILAND
Impact: The west coast of Thailand was severely hit, including outlying islands and tourist resorts near Phuket.
Toll: Some 5,395 people have been confirmed dead. They include about 2,400 foreigners from 36 countries. The number of people still missing exceeds 2,800. Some bodies may still lie in the rubble of wrecked hotels and their environs.
MALDIVES
Impact: The extremely low-lying Maldives consist of 199 inhabited islands, 20 of which were described as "totally destroyed" by the tsunami. Well over 4,000 homes were destroyed or damaged. Schools, boats, infrastructure and tourist resorts also suffered.
Toll: At least 81 people died. The impact on the country's economy was huge.
MALAYSIA
Impact: Shielded by Sumatra, Malaysia's coastline was spared widespread devastation despite being close to the
epicenter. Fewer than 10,000 people are believed to have been affected, although scores were swept from beaches near the northern island of Penang.
Toll: At least 68 people confirmed dead.
BURMA
Impact: The worst affected area was the Irrawaddy Delta, inhabited by poor subsistence farmers and fishing families.
Toll: Burma's military junta puts the death toll at 61, but the World Food Programme (WFP) says this may be an underestimate. One WFP employee found 200 households where at least one person was missing. Hundreds of Burmese migrants workers living in Thailand are also thought to have died.
BANGLADESH
Toll: Two people were reported dead in Bangladesh.
SOMALIA
Impact: Somalia was the worst-hit African state. Damage was concentrated in the Puntland region, on the tip of the Horn of Africa. Water destroyed 1,180 homes, smashed 2,400 boats and rendered freshwater wells and reservoirs unusable, the UN said in a report early in January.
Toll: Between 150 and 200 Somalis are thought to have died, with thousands more homeless and many fishermen unaccounted for. As many as 30,000 people may have been displaced.
KENYA
Toll: One person drowned in Kenya.
TANZANIA
Toll: Ten people were killed in Tanzania.
SEYCHELLES
Toll: One person was killed in the Seychelles.
Total loss of life 283,100 known. Estimates run as high 400,000
plus.
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