TSUNAMI-ANNIVERSARY/INDIA-AFTERMATH FILE File material shows aftermath of 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami in India

Record ID: 1390284

  • Title: TSUNAMI-ANNIVERSARY/INDIA-AFTERMATH FILE File material shows aftermath of 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami in India
  • Date: 16th December 2014
  • Summary: MEN FILLING IN MASS GRAVE MADRAS, TAMIL NADU (FILE - DECEMBER 26, 2004) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (ANI) DAMAGED HUTS NEAR THE SEA SHORE WATER RUSHING AMONGST BUILDINGS PEOPLE STANDING ON TOP OF DEBRIS IN VILLAGE STREET PEOPLE WADING THROUGH WATER ON STREETS
  • Embargoed: 2nd January 2015 13:27
  • Keywords:
  • Location: India
  • Country: India
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA480P01TCJN5W2XJ2RHQVMYMZ6
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: THIS EDIT CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES
    EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: THIS EDIT CONTAINS MATERIAL THAT WAS ORIGINALLY 4:3
    On December 26, 2004, a magnitude 9.15 quake off the coast of Indonesia's Aceh province triggered an Indian Ocean Tsunami that killed around 226,000 people in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand and nine other countries.
    India, one of the worst-hit countries, lost an estimated 16,279 lives, according to statistics compiled by government and aid agencies.
    Both direct waves and waves deflected from Sri Lanka's landmass hit the island's coast, with the 13 coastline districts of Tamil Nadu state suffering the brunt of the disaster.
    A total of 730,000 people in India were displaced and 157,393 buildings and homes damaged or destroyed when the enormous waves smashed into the coast.
    Facing severely ill-equipped hospitals and a shortage of medical supplies in the immediate aftermath, India also suffered heavy rains in the weeks following the disaster, worsening the flooding and hampering efforts to find the missing.
    In many parts of India, state officials practically gave up trying to count the dead and were burying bodies in mass graves.
    With many fearful of disease and unable to face the stench, those searching and digging for bodies amongst the rubble and debris were often the "untouchables," the lowest of the low in India's ancient caste system, from neighbouring villages.
    With crops, cattle, and boats lost, those who survived had lost their entire livelihood and faced the mammoth task of rebuilding everything from scratch.
    Although the international response to the disaster was unprecedented, with an estimated $13.6 billion official aid and private donations pledged for recovery in the 13 countries affected, 10 years later, many communities still feel the affects of what remains the deadliest tsunami on record.
  • Copyright Holder: ANI (India)
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