19 july 2009
Tsunami at Indian Ocean
A tsunami is a series of water waves that is caused when a large volume of a body of water, such as an ocean, is rapidly displaced.Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater explosions, landslides and other mass movements, bolide impacts, and other disturbances above or below water all have the potential to generate a tsunami.
Tsunami are not rare, with at least 25 tsunami occurring in the last century. Of these, many were recorded in the Asia–Pacific region—particularly Japan. The 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami caused approximately 350,000 deaths and many more injuries.
The U.S. Geological Survey initially recorded the toll as 283,100 killed, 14,100 missing, and 1,126,900 people displaced. However, more recent analysis compiled by the United Nations lists a total of 229,866 people lost, including 186,983 dead and 42,883 missing. The figure excludes 400 to 600 people who are believed to have perished in Myanmar, which is more than that government's official figure of only 61 dead.If the higher Myanmar figures are reliable, the death toll would include at least 230,000 people. Measured in lives lost, this is one of the ten worst earthquakes in recorded history, as well as the single worst tsunami in history.
Country where
deaths occurred Deaths Injured Missing Displaced
Confirmed Estimated1
Indonesia 130,736 167,736 — 37,063 500,000+
Sri Lanka2 35,322 21,411 516,150
India 12,405 18,045 — 5,640 647,599
Thailand 5,3953 8,212 8,457 2,817 7,000
Somalia 78 289 — — 5,000
Myanmar (Burma) 61 400–600 45 200 3,200
Maldives 82 108 — 26 15,000+
Malaysia 68 75 299 6 —
Tanzania 10 13 — — —
Seychelles 3 3 57 — 200
Bangladesh 2 2 — — —
South Africa 24 2 — — —
Yemen 2 2 — — —
Kenya 1 1 2 — —
Madagascar — — — — 1,000+
Total ~184,168 ~230,210 ~125,000 ~45,752 ~1.69 million
reported by Clarence
