HISTORY STORIES | The most interesting events from the past.

When in the Northern hemisphere of our planet lasts the winter season, in the South, on the contrary, the whole raging warm summer weather. This is always enjoyed by many tourists who come to relax and soak up the sun under the Paradise resorts of Thailand, Sri Lanka and the Islands of Indonesia. However, what happened in January 2004 was the embodiment of the worst nightmare ever. On the 26th of the coast of Indonesia there was a powerful earthquake, which caused a huge tsunami. Subsequently, this natural disaster was called the most deadly natural phenomenon of our time.

In 7 hours 59 minutes under the Indian Ocean in the North-West of Sumatra, an earthquake with a force estimated by various experts from 9 to 9.3 points on the Richter scale occurred. Its epicenter was at a depth of about 20 kilometers. In a geographical sense, this earthquake was huge. The Indian lithospheric plate plunged into the Burmese plate. The breed moved 15 meters at a distance of 1200 meters. The earthquake caused a sharp shift of the axis of our planet by as much as 3 centimeters. The resulting energy was roughly equal to that of all the nuclear weapons that existed at that time in the world. The earthquake center was about 1000 kilometers. The day this underwater earthquake happened, there was a maximum tide and a full moon.

The result of the cataclysm was the rise of the seabed, which gave rise to a huge wave of tsunami, which reached even the shores of Mexico and Chile. The height of the waves in the open ocean was about 0.8 meters, but they moved just at a huge speed more than 725 km/h. At the approach to the coastal area, the tsunami speed dropped to 35 km/h, but increased height, which has become incomprehensible 15 meters.

The first goal of the water element were the Islands of Java and Sumatra. After 1.5 hours it approached the coast of Thailand, another 2 filled in the Maldives and the Eastern coastal areas of India and Bangladesh. After 6 hours, the tsunami hit the South African city of Port Elizabeth, almost 7,000 kilometers from the epicenter of the earthquake. On the Pacific coast of Mexico, the wave height reached 2.5 meters. During the day, the tsunami overtook the entire planet. This was the first time in the history of observations of this natural phenomenon.

The tsunami caused enormous destruction and loss of life. It caused the greatest destruction to the coastal areas of Indonesia. Cities and small villages located off the coast of Sumatra island were completely destroyed. In some areas of the island the water has reached a depth of 10 kilometers. 75% of the Coast of Sumatra Island in its Western part has ceased to exist. In Thailand, Phuket and Phi Islands, which are major tourist centers, suffered the most. For some time, the entire island of Phi generally absorbed the elements of the sea. He became a grave for thousands of people.

The most affected countries

Massive human casualties have been reported in many Asian countries. A devastating tsunami wave could even cause damage to the African countries of Somalia and Yemen, as well as South Africa. According to rough estimates the number of victims is the largest in the history of tsunami in African and Asian countries exceeded 235,000 people. However, the exact figure is unlikely ever to find out, as too a large number of people considered missing. The sad lists of the dead and missing were both locals and numerous tourists. It is particularly appalling that about 30 per cent of the victims were children. This huge number of casualties is due to the complete absence of a tsunami detection and warning system.

Because of the tsunami, about 1.5 million people were left homeless. The destruction of the disaster was just enormous. There is no country in the world that remains indifferent to this catastrophe. Under the auspices of the United Nations, humanitarian assistance was immediately provided to the affected States and their regions. Thanks to her quick delivery was able to stop the spread of infectious diseases, and accordingly, to save an even greater number of people.

The tragedy was the impetus for the introduction of a warning system for the possible approach of the tsunami, which began its activities in the Indian Ocean 9 years after the tragedy.