Revisiting 2004 Tsunami Terror: Killer Quake And Waves that Changed India’s Coastline Forever

<p>The massive tsunami in Russia caused by a powerful 8.8 magnitude earthquake in the country’s Kamchatka Peninsula has once again refreshed the haunting memories of the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004 that affected India among other South East Asian nations.&nbsp;</p>
<p>On December 26, 2004, when people around the world were preparing to ring in the new year, a massive undersea earthquake off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, unleashed a series of towering waves on coastal lines across 14 countries.&nbsp;</p>
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<h2>Worst Tsunami In India’s History</h2>
<p>The Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal, far from the Indian mainland, bore most of the brunt of the country’s territory. Entire villages were submerged while buildings came crashing down under the weight of massive waves. India’s coastal line also altered as the country’s southernmost point, Indira Point submerged in the waves.&nbsp;</p>
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<figure class=”image”><img src=”https://feeds.abplive.com/onecms/images/uploaded-images/2025/07/30/72761acd4456a18d5f51e150762a9e8f1753855931976272_original.jpg” alt=”Chennai’s Marina Beach submerged as waves hit Chennai. (PT) ” width=”720″ />
<figcaption>Chennai’s Marina Beach submerged as waves hit Chennai. (PT)</figcaption>
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<p>Survivors were left stranded without help for days as communication lines were severed.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Nagapattinam town in Tamil Nadu was among the worst-hit districts where the natural calamity claimed thousands of lives in minutes. Kerala also bore the impact as many low-lying coastal villages were inundated, with homes being washed away, leaving survivors clinging to trees and rooftops.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>The undersea earthquake, measuring between 9.1 and 9.3 on the Richter scale off the west coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia, triggered a series of massive tsunami waves that rippled outwards at speeds up to 800 kilometres per hour.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Destruction From Indonesia To Africa</h2>
<p>Indonesia’s Sumatra Aceh province was the worst hit with waves as high as 30 metres, obliterating entire towns and villages.&nbsp;</p>
<p>As the waves expanded across the Indian Ocean, they reached the shores of Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand, carrying with them destruction and despair. The waves touched as far away as Somalia and South Africa.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Also termed the Boxing Day tsunami, the 2004 Indian Ocean catastrophe killed over 2,30,000 people, including entire families being swept away by the waves.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Meanwhile, in India and Sri Lanka, around 10,000 people died, and Thailand suffered heavy losses among locals and international tourists, with around 5,400 people killed.&nbsp;</p>