A powerful undersea earthquake that struck off the coast of Sumatra island, Indonesia, set off the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, also known as the Christmas or Boxing Day tsunami, on Sunday morning, Dec. 26, 2004. ... The quake caused the ocean floor to suddenly rise by as much as 40 meters, triggering a massive tsunami.
Why did the 2004 tsunami kill so many?
The December 26, 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami was caused by an earthquake that is thought to have had the energy of 23,000 Hiroshima-type atomic bombs . ... Within hours of the earthquake, killer waves radiating from the epicenter slammed into the coastlines of 11 countries, damaging countries from east Africa to Thailand.
Why was the Indian Ocean tsunami so bad?
As well as the sideways movement between the plates, the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake resulted in a rise of the seafloor by several metres , displacing an estimated 30 km 3 (7.2 cu mi) of water and triggering devastating tsunami waves.
Was the 2004 tsunami deadly?
The tsunami killed at least 225,000 people across a dozen countries, with Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Maldives, and Thailand sustaining massive damage. Indonesian officials estimated that the death toll there alone ultimately exceeded 200,000, particularly in northern Sumatra’s Aceh province.
Did Maria Belon lose her leg in the tsunami?
She lost part of a leg in the tragedy , but miraculously (spoiler alert), she managed to reunite with the rest of her family by sheer luck. More than 283,000 died. Belon, once a family doctor turned stay-at-home mom, emerged from the ordeal a different person.
Can you swim in a tsunami?
“A person will be just swept up in it and carried along as debris; there’s no swimming out of a tsunami ,” Garrison-Laney says. “There’s so much debris in the water that you’ll probably get crushed.” Eventually, the wave will pull back, dragging cars, trees, and buildings with it.
How long did the 2004 tsunami last?
The 2004 quake ruptured a 900-mile stretch along the Indian and Australian plates 31 miles below the ocean floor. Rather than delivering one violent jolt, the quake lasted an unrelenting 10 minutes , releasing as much pent-up power as several thousand atomic bombs.
How many tourists died in 2004 tsunami?
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami timeline
+1.5 hours: Beaches in southern Thailand are hit by the tsunami. Among the 5,400 who died were 2,000 foreign tourists . +2 hours: The tsunami strikes the Sri Lankan coastline from the northeast and all around the southern tip; more than 30,000 people are dead or missing.
Did anyone famous died in the 2004 tsunami?
26, 2004, she clung onto a palm beach tree for almost eight hours. Nemcova, who suffered internal injuries and a shattered pelvis, was one of the lucky ones. Her boyfriend, photographer Simon Atlee , and more than 200,000 people in 14 countries died in one of the deadliest tsunamis in modern history.
What’s the biggest tsunami ever?
Lituya Bay, Alaska, July 9, 1958
Its over 1,700-foot wave was the largest ever recorded for a tsunami. It inundated five square miles of land and cleared hundreds of thousands of trees. Remarkably, only two fatalities occurred.
Did they know the 2004 tsunami was coming?
Quite simply, they had no idea it was coming . That’s because despite a history of tsunamis caused by volcanoes and earthquakes, Indonesia has not had an effective early warning system for years. Saturday’s disaster isn’t the first time Indonesia’s disaster readiness has been criticized this year.
How much damage did the 2004 tsunami cause?
The Impacts
An astonishing roughly quarter million people (227,899) were killed or missing and presumed dead, including tourists, making this the deadliest tsunami in history. About 1.7 million people were displaced. Total damage was estimated at roughly $13 billion (2017 dollars) .
Did she lose her leg in The Impossible?
Belon is a petite dark haired woman originally from Spain, but who has lived in such diverse places as Mexico and Japan as the wife of business executive. She lost part of a leg in the tragedy , but miraculously (spoiler alert), she managed to reunite with the rest of her family by sheer luck. ... Belon: Yes.
What did Maria vomit in The Impossible?
A woman lying next to Maria in hospital starts to cough violently and vomits large amounts of clotted blood . Maria also starts vomiting blood, and the end of a plant vine comes out of her mouth.
Did Karl ever find his family in The Impossible?
He missed his family a lot. He didn’t want to talk about it in the beginning but after a while he started to talk about what had happened during the tsunami.” Slowly, Karl began to open up about the tragedy. ... From the beginning local people took care of him and then a Swedish family found him .”
