- Title: File of 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami aftermath ahead of 15th anniversary
- Date: 19th December 2019
- Summary: GALLE, SRI LANKA (FILE - DECEMBER 27, 2004) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (REUTERS) DESTRUCTION ALONG BEACHFRONT HOUSE IN RUINS ON BEACHFRONT VARIOUS OF LOCALS WALKING THROUGH RUBBLE VARIOUS OF BUSES ENTANGLED AT BUS TERMINAL IN CENTRAL GALLE PEOPLE WALKING THROUGH RUBBLE ARMED SECURITY IN CITY KARATPITIYA, SRI LANKA (FILE - DECEMBER 27, 2004) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PEOPLE QUEUING TO REGISTER NAMES OF LOST RELATIVES MULLAITTIVO, SRI LANKA (FILE - DECEMBER 27, 2004) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (REUTERS) BODIES LINED UP AND COVERED FAMILY MEMBER CRYING OVER BODIES BODIES BEING CARRIED ONTO A TRUCK GROUP OF MEN AND WOMEN CRYING TRUCK WITH BODIES LEAVING GRIEVING FAMILY MEMBERS AND LINED UP BODIES FLOODED ROADS MEN LOOKING FOR BODIES IN FLOODED LANDS Popular tourist destination Thailand was among the worst affected, along with Indonesia, India and Sri Lanka. Many of the 5,395 people killed in Thailand were foreign tourists holidaying along the shores of its idyllic islands and beaches. PHUKET, THAILAND (FILE - DECEMBER 26, 2004) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (VIDEO OBTAINED BY REUTERS) PEOPLE FLEEING FROM BEACH, HUGE WAVES CRASHING ONTO BEACH SWEEPING ALONG EVERYTHING IN ITS PATH WATER SWIRLING AROUND SUBMERGED CHALETS PHI PHI ISLAND, THAILAND (FILE - DECEMBER 30, 2004) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (REUTERS) VARIOUS AERIALS SHOWING DESTRUCTION VARIOUS OF DESTRUCTION AND DEBRIS BEING CLEARED PHANG NGA, THAILAND (FILE - DECEMBER, 2004) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF DAMAGED HOTEL THAI ARMY WALKING THROUGH RUBBLE SEARCHING FOR BODIES PHUKET, THAILAND (FILE - DECEMBER 28, 2004) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (REUTERS) SOLDIERS WALKING THROUGH DESTROYED HOTEL PHANG NGA, THAILAND (FILE - DECEMBER 28, 2004) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (REUTERS) DEAD PERSON'S HAND SHOWING THROUGH DEBRIS MAN COVERING BODY WITH BLACK SHEET EXTERIOR OF TEMPLE WHERE BODIES WERE TAKEN BODIES OF VICTIMS ON THE GROUND VARIOUS OF FAMILY MEMBERS LOOKING FOR THEIR RELATIVES IN THE TEMPLE KHAO LAK, THAILAND (FILE - DECEMBER 29, 2004) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (REUTERS) DECAYING BODIES LYING ON GROUND AT WAT YAN YAO TEMPLE HEALTH WORKER SPRAYING DISINFECTANT LYSOL OVER BODIES PHUKET, THAILAND (FILE - DECEMBER 31, 2004) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (REUTERS) PICTURES OF MISSING PEOPLE ON WALL WOMAN LOOKING AT PICTURES PICTURES OF MISSING CHILDREN (TOURISTS)
- Embargoed: 2nd January 2020 00:48
- Keywords: 2004 tsunami Banda Aceh India Indonesia Sri Lanka Thailand aftermath anniversary disaster file
- Location: ACEH PROVINCE, MEULABOH, OFF SUMATRAN COAST, INDONESIA/ GALLE, HAMBANTOTA, KARATPITIYA, MULLAITTIVO, SRI LANKA/ PHUKET, PHI PHI ISLAND, PHANG NGA, KHAO LAK, THAILAND/ TAMIL NADU, INDIA
- City: ACEH PROVINCE, MEULABOH, OFF SUMATRAN COAST, INDONESIA/ GALLE, HAMBANTOTA, KARATPITIYA, MULLAITTIVO, SRI LANKA/ PHUKET, PHI PHI ISLAND, PHANG NGA, KHAO LAK, THAILAND/ TAMIL NADU, INDIA
- Country: Various
- Topics: Disaster/Accidents,Earthquakes/Volcanoes/Tsunami,Editors' Choice
- Reuters ID: LVA007BANUVYF
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: EDITORS NOTE: EDIT CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES
December 26 will mark the 15th anniversary of a deadly earthquake and tsunami that struck a large part of Asia, claiming the lives of over 226,000 people, and leaving nearly 2 million homeless.
Over 50,000 bodies were never recovered.
When a 9.15-magnitude quake opened a fault line deep beneath the ocean on Dec. 26, 15 years ago, it triggered a wave as high as 17.4 meters (57 feet) which crashed ashore in more than a dozen countries, wiping some communities off the map in seconds.
Indonesia was the worst hit, 166,000 either dead or missing. Massive reconstruction aid in Banda Aceh has rebuilt a new city on top of the ruins, but the devastation reached as far away as the east coast of Africa, including countries like Kenya, Somalia and Tanzania.
Those killed in 2004 received no formal warning of the approaching waves and were left with no chance to get out of the way.
Since then, millions of dollars have gone into building a vast network of seismic and tsunami information centres, setting up sea and coastal instruments and erecting warning towers.
But doubts linger about how ready countries on the Indian Ocean really are for another giant wave. The past decade has seen more than $400 million spent across 28 countries on an early-warning system comprising 101 sea-level gauges, 148 seismometers and nine buoys, but there is concern about the effectiveness and maintenance of the system.
Some experts say complacency is leaving millions vulnerable and governments still warn of the ever-present risks.
(Production: Joseph Campbell, Phyllis Xu) - Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
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