Megadisaster 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami: Deadliest Earthquake and Tsunami of Modern History

Mega-disaster 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami: Deadliest Earthquake and Tsunami of Modern History

On December 26, 2004, a massive 9.1 magnitude undersea earthquake struck the Indian Ocean floor. With its epicenter located off west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, the tremor, caused by the subduction of the Indian Plate by the Burma Plate, triggered a series of deadly tsunamis that affected the coasts of the Indian Ocean.

Waves were estimated to be up to 30 m high and the tectonic plates movement lasted more than 8 minutes.

Without a proper warning system in place, the series of tsunamis took the South Asian zone by surprise, causing the biggest widespread of death in modern times, caused by natural phenomena. Estimates points that up to 280,000 people in 14 countries died and millions were displaced of their homes.

Nations across the world pledged over 14 billion dollars of aid for the regions and tsunami warning systems and educational programs were deployed in the region.

This event has been given many names through time: Indian Ocean Tsunami, Boxing Day Tsunami, Sumatra–Andaman earthquake, Indonesian Tsunami, Christmas Day Tsunami and South Asian Tsunami.

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