Indian Ocean Tsunami (Boxing Day 2004)

On 26 December 2004, a 9.1 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Sumatra in Indonesia. It was caused by the Indian plate being sub ducted under the Burma plate which resulted in the temperature and pressure to increase. As a result the ocean floor rose and displaced large volumes of water which created a tsunami which struck the Indian Ocean coastlines.
The waves which were 30m in height affected many countries in South East Asia including Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, and the Maldives and further afield Somalia.
230,000 people were killed and 1.7 million were left homeless afterwards. It was the biggest in the Indian Ocean for approximately 700 years and discouragement to visit the affected area in fear of a second tsunami saw tourism decline in the affected countries.