Tsunami in South-East Asia

Duration
28 December 2004 - 14 July 2005
Military personnel
40
Fatalities
none
Decorations
none

On 26 December 2004, an earthquake off the coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra caused a giant tidal wave, a tsunami, which hit large stretches of coast in Asia and East Africa.

It is estimated that 280.000 people were killed. The majority of the deaths occurred on the island of Sumatra, close to the epicentre of the quake. Other coastal countries surrounding the Indian Ocean were also badly hit, such as Thailand, Burma and Sri Lanka.