227,898 dead across 14 countries. 30-metre waves. Changed global disaster preparedness.
On 26 December 2004, a magnitude 9.1–9.3 megathrust earthquake off the coast of northern Sumatra triggered a series of tsunamis that struck 14 countries around the Indian Ocean, killing 227,898 people in one of the most destructive disasters in modern history. Waves reaching up to 30 metres (100 feet) inundated coastlines in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand within hours. The disaster prompted the largest international humanitarian response ever seen and led directly to the establishment of the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning System. Its tsunami wave height was four times taller than the 1839 Coringa Cyclone's storm surge.
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