December 26 Tsunami: Remembering The 2004 Disaster That Killed 2 Lakh People

Nineteen years ago, the world witnessed one of the most deadly disasters. The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami killed more than 2,30,000 people in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand and nine other countries. On the morning after Christmas in 2004, a 9.1 magnitude quake off northern Sumatra island triggered a tsunami with waves as high as 17.4 meters (57 feet) that swept over vulnerable coastal areas in several nations. 

It is also known as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake, or the Boxing Day tsunami. As per a CNN report, the tremors were so strong that it was one of the few occasions when the entire world trembled and no area of Earth remained motionless. "Globally, this earthquake was large enough to basically vibrate the whole planet as much as half an inch, or a centimetre. Everywhere we had instruments, we could see motions," Charles Ammon, Associate Professor of Geosciences at Penn State University, said at that time.

As per Reuters, after the tsunami, the death countkept increasing, and bodies littered the streets, waiting to be collected. Hospitals and morgues struggled to cope with injured and bewildered victims and bloated corpses.

In Indonesia, the tsunami swallowed most of the coastline, displaced around 5,70,000 people and destroyed 1,79,000 homes and buildings. Meanwhile, in India, around 10,000 people died, mostly women and children in Chennai. Sri Lanka was the next worst-affected country with about 40,000 deaths, while in Thailand almost 5,400 people were killed including many foreign tourists.

A 900-mile stretch of the Australian and Indian plates was shattered by the 2004 earthquake, which occurred 31 miles below the ocean's surface. The earthquake released as much pent-up energy as several thousand atomic bombs over the course of ten relentless minutes, rather than causing just one powerful shock, as per History.com.

Several people took to X, formerly Twitter, and remembered the victims of the horrible tragedy.

"Today it will be 19 years since that disaster, who knows how many families it left orphaned and homeless.  My humble tribute to all those who are in this devastation," said a user.

Another wrote, "26 December always reminds me the year 2004. The biggest ever disaster which we witnessed during our lifetime."

"Remembering the lives lost in the devastating 2004 tsunami. A moment to honor their memory, reflect on resilience, and unite in solidarity. May we never forget the impact and continue working towards a world better prepared for such tragedies," wrote a person.