Tsunamis are giant and long oceanic waves that occur as a result of an underwater volcanic eruption or earthquakes with a magnitude of more than 7. During an underwater earthquake, sections of the ocean floor are displaced, which forms a series of destructive waves. Their speed can reach 1000 km / h, and the height - up to 50 m and higher. About 80% of tsunamis occur in the Pacific Ocean.
Tsunami in Thailand (2004), Phuket December 26, 2004 - this day went down in history as the day of a tragedy of gigantic proportions, which took a huge number of lives. At this time, there was a tsunami in Phuket (2004). Patong, Karon and other beaches have suffered the most. At 07:58 local time, at the bottom of the Indian Ocean near the island of Simelue, a powerful earthquake with a magnitude of up to 9.3 points occurred. It caused a large series of giant waves that people around the world still remember with fear and regret. Water killers killed about 300 thousand people in a few hours and caused terrible destruction on the shores of Asia.
Today, many tourists are interested in which beaches in Phuket were the tsunami. These tourists hope that the answer to this question will allow them to choose the tsunami-safe beaches of Phuket. But in fact, there are no beaches in Phuket that are safe in this regard. Although the beaches in the east of the island, in principle, are safe from the tsunami (in the shallow Phang Nga Bay, a devastating tsunami is impossible), only a few tourists from Russia rest on these beaches.
There are different opinions about the height of the tsunami wave in Phuket in 2004. Some sources say that the wave height was about 30 meters. But if the wave were so high, the death toll would have been much higher. In fact, the wave height is on average “only” 5 meters, but the fact is that this wave was moving at a very high speed, which was about 600 km / h. Imagine what impact force such a wave has. Due to the high speed of this wave, many tourists simply did not have time to escape, but the damage on these beaches was noticeably lower than on Patong and Karon.
Arriving in Phuket the night before and spending the night looking for surviving Russians in hospitals in Phuket and five surrounding provinces, on the morning of December 27, driving along a relatively intact section of the embankment in the Patong Beach area, we first saw in the light of day and realized the scale of the destruction. Completely collapsed and dilapidated front line houses, cars half protruding from the third floor windows, and a small car wrapped around a cracked concrete pillar so that the front bumper was in contact with the rear. The bodies of the dead were no longer on the streets, there was only debris from the wooden buildings demolished by the wave and twisted cars and motorcycles, and from this the picture became even more terrible: the imagination completed the missing. On Patong, the wave was "only" up to three to five meters high, but its speed at the moment of impact reached 500 kilometers per hour. On the embankment stood palm trees, bare as lamp posts, not broken by the wave, but completely devoid of leaves.
How were the victims of the tsunami buried in Phuket?
The story of how the victims of the tsunami in Phuket were buried deserves a separate mention. After the tsunami, Phuket became the main gathering place for all the dead who were brought here from other parts of Thailand. Over time, the death toll became so huge that there was nowhere to store them, as morgues, hospital basements and refrigerators were completely packed. Then it was decided to temporarily bury the unidentified bodies that literally rotted in the sun. In the 2006 film Tsunami: The Aftermath, there was footage of the bodies of the dead being burned in furnaces, but as far as we know, nothing like that happened. Although some of the bodies were actually burned in the ovens, they were the bodies of Thais and other Asians who profess Buddhism. That is, these were ordinary cremation ceremonies, and not disposal of corpses.
The earthquake that struck on December 26, 2004 off the coast of Indonesia caused a giant wave - the tsunami, recognized as the deadliest natural disaster in modern history.
The epicenter of the disaster was located at a depth of about 20 kilometers under the ocean floor, about 200 kilometers west of the northern tip of the island of Sumatra (Indonesia). The length of the earthquake source in the north-north-west (Andaman Sea) - south-south-east direction (along the coast of Sumatra) was more than a thousand kilometers.
The energy released during an earthquake is approximately equal to the energy of the entire world stock of nuclear weapons or the annual world energy consumption.
Following this natural disaster, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO was tasked with developing and implementing the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System. In 2005, the Intergovernmental Coordination Group was established. As a result of eight years of international cooperation under the auspices of the IOC, the Tsunami Warning System became operational in March 2013, when Regional Tsunami Watch Centers in Australia, India and Indonesia took over responsibility for transmitting tsunami warnings to countries in the Indian Ocean.
The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti and open sources
Many remember the tsunami that swept across Southeast Asia in 2004, killing 400,000 people. It happened before the New Year and became a real disaster for local residents and vacationers. Here we recall the tragic events that took place during tsunami in Thailand 2004 of the year.
Tsunami in Thailand in 2004: how it happened
The super-powerful tsunami in Thailand was caused by an earthquake in the Indian Ocean. As a result, 18 countries were affected by the wave. The aftershock occurred on December 26 at 7.58 local time and passed almost unnoticed. This led to huge casualties. tsunami in Thailand 2004 of the year. After 2 hours, the first wave approached the Thai coast. The magnitude of the earthquake was 9.1 - 9.3 points (it was recognized as the 3rd most powerful in history), and the epicenter was only 160 km from Sumatra. As a result, some small islands shifted by as much as 20 meters, and the Earth's rotation around its axis even accelerated slightly.
The wave height was 15 meters and washed away almost everything in its path: trees were torn out, buildings were destroyed, cars were washed away from parking lots, boats and larger ships were thrown ashore. The water that flooded the beaches of Thailand, among which was the popular Patong, went deeper on land for several hundred meters, and in some places went 2 kilometers inland. Tsunami in Thailand 2004, which came the first time, washed away almost the entire infrastructure, but after that the wave returned twice more and completed the destruction.
Tsunami in Thailand 2004: destruction
Many fled to the mountains, and those who did not have time climbed onto the roofs of hotels. The most affected islands are Phuket, Phi Phi (the island is completely submerged), the provinces of Krabi and Phangan. In Thailand, about 8,500 people died, who were citizens of 40 countries.
The same wave reached India in 90 minutes, to the African coast in Somalia in 7 hours. Destruction was noted even in South Africa in Port Elizabeth. Even the state of Kerala in India, also known for the bloody rains there, has suffered, although it is located on the west coast, not the east. The total number of victims varies from 250 to 300 thousand.
it tsunami in Thailand became the largest in 80 years and is in the TOP 10 most destructive in history.
This year will be 15 years since the tragedy that happened on December 26. 230,000 deaths in fourteen countries, one of the deadliest natural disasters ever to occur.
The 2004 Thailand tsunami cannot be forgotten, but there are so many distortions of facts and fiction around this tragedy that it is worthwhile to figure out what is true and what is a clear lie. How many people died and why did the tsunami happen in Thailand? Could it happen again? How dangerous is it to go on vacation to Thailand?
What caused the 2004 Thailand Tsunami?
The 20014 tsunami in Thailand was indeed caused by the largest and deadliest earthquake in history.
The power of the earthquake was estimated at 9.3 points on the Richter scale. The cause of the earthquake that caused the tsunami in several countries is the collision of two tectonic plates: the Burmese and Indian plates off the coast of Sumatra.
An underwater-mega-prospective-earthquake caused a rupture of plates and the appearance of waves with a height of 5-10 storey buildings.
Was it possible to predict it? It is possible, but in those parts there was still no warning equipment and it is quite possible to assume that the number of deaths, if the rules were observed, could be reduced several times.
For many years, tectonic plates rested against each other and one was supposed to pass over the other, but instead, it moved head-on and a plate shift of 19 meters occurred, which caused the fracture and displacement of millions of tons of water, which caused the tsunami.
Tsunami of "Christmas gifts"
"Tsunami at Christmas" - so the public called the tragedy that happened exactly on the Catholic Christmas holidays.
Within a few hours from the beginning of the earthquake, a series of waves up to 30 meters high caused a tsunami, which seriously affected the inhabitants of 7 countries: India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Malaysia, Thailand.
The death toll from the 2004 tsunami:
India - 730,000 people
Indonesia - 572 926 people
Sri Lanka - 516 150 people
Maldives - 11,231 people
Malaysia - 8000 people
Thailand - 8000 people
Myanmar - 3200 people
And that's not counting the people who are still missing. Due to the fact that the victims spent a long time in the water, many were simply not identified.
In the scientific community, the event that we know as the tsunami in Thailand was called the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake.
Tsunami in Thailand 2004 - how it happened
December 26, 2004 began like an ordinary morning in Thailand. Someone was in a hurry to work, someone was going to the beach, nothing boded trouble. According to eyewitnesses of that day, at about 7 am people felt tremors, it became clear that there was an earthquake. But since it was short-lived, no one really attached any importance to it.
The most powerful waves in history took about two hours to reach the shores of Thailand and hit the western coast of the country.
The first were the Similan Islands. A famous diving site where diving enthusiasts from all over the world gather. Divers eyewitnesses were the first to know about the tsunami, because at the depth of the waves they behaved in such a way that a person was as if inside a huge washing centrifuge.
The biggest blow was taken by the island of Khao Lak. It was hit by the biggest wave impact, which literally swept away all the bungalows and hotels on the shore. Because of the topography of the seabed, coastline and coastal reefs, the tsunami waves depicted the infamous “disappearing sea effect” that seduced many tourists and led them to death.
The tsunami looked like this: the water abruptly went deep into the depths and exposed the seabed. Many tourists ran to look at fish, marine life and collect outlandish shells.
The moment the waves became visible, it was already too late. There were only 1-3 minutes before their fall, it was impossible to escape.
Among those killed at Khao Lak was the grandson of the King of Thailand, Bhumibol Adulyadett, which once again confirms the fact that even the Thai authorities were not aware of the impending tragedy. Hundreds of people were simply washed into the sea, and then thrown into the nearest houses, hotels, barriers with a powerful blow.
Photo and video of the 2004 tsunami in Thailand
2004 Thailand Tsunami Video
Photos of eyewitnesses to the tsunami in Thailand:
People flee as a tsunami wave hits the coast of Koh Raya Island, part of Thailand's Andaman Islands, 23 kilometers from Phuket Island, southern Thailand, December 26, 2004. The photographer who took this photo escaped without injury but retreated into the first wave and watched as the second wave ripped apart wooden buildings, while the third and largest wave came forward and “ripped apart cement buildings as if they were made of balsa wood”.
On December 26, 2004, waves hit Maddampegama, 60 kilometers (38 miles) south of Colombo, Sri Lanka. Earthquake-triggered tsunami waves hit villages along Sri Lanka's wide coastline, killing more than 35,300 people
An aerial view of Marina Beach after the Indian Ocean earthquake tsunami hit the southern Indian city of Madras on December 26, 2004
Archive photo taken on January 5, 2005 in the destroyed area of \u200b\u200bBanda Aceh in Aceh province, located on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia after the powerful tsunam on December 26, 2004
Tsunami in Thailand 2004 in Phuket
Contrary to popular rumors, Phuket has suffered the least of all Thailand's provinces. Less destruction, less fatalities. In Thailand, there were villages by the sea, in which 80% of the inhabitants died, but Phuket was not one of them.
According to official figures, about 250 people died from the tsunami in Phuket, including foreign tourists. Of course, there were many more victims. Many received lacerations in which dirt and branches were crammed. Residents suffered from a lack of water, medicines and timely medical assistance.
Approximately east of Phuket, 80 km away, the consequences were much more serious: 3,950 deaths were confirmed, and more than 4,500 on Khao Lak. hide from the elements.
Why did not many have time to evacuate?
The fact is that a tsunami of this magnitude has not happened in Thailand in modern history. The 30-meter waves that went ashore at a speed of up to 1000 km / h merged with the horizon line and they were simply not visible, since they were without a white ridge.
People simply did not understand what had happened, and during the impact of the wave, only a few managed to escape.
There were several waves, and the ebb tide caused huge damage, which dragged everything into the sea: concrete structures, fittings, cars and houses. All this mixed together created a mortal threat to the people who got into this mess.
The waves that did the most damage were slow, steep, and dense. This is because the sea around the west coast of Thailand is relatively shallow, which has slowed the waves considerably.
The tsunami hit six provinces in Thailand. The final death toll was 5,395, of whom 1,953 were considered foreigners. Another 2,929 people were listed as missing. It is estimated that around 2,000 people were killed in the fishing village of Ban Nam Khem. The village has lost half of its inhabitants.
Thailand was in the middle of the tourist season. There were hundreds of thousands of foreigners in the country. The hotels were filled with foreigners. In many places the sea retreated a great distance before the biggest waves hit. When the water came out, many thought it had something to do with the moon.
Bill O'Leary, an employee at the Amanuri Resort, knew this was a sign of a tsunami. He is credited with saving dozens of lives by warning people to flee inland before the waves arrive. But others were killed because they had no idea what was going on.
The New York Times reported in those days: “Once crowded beach resorts are littered with bodies. Near the devastated beach and spa resort Similan, where mostly German tourists stayed, a naked corpse is suspended from a tree as if crucified. "
Many coral reefs were destroyed by the tsunami. Powerful waves hit hundreds of sea reefs. Debris from the tsunami littered natural areas. The green turtle was washed almost a mile offshore and laid in a pond north of Phuket. Some people in boats rescued survivors thrown into the sea.
What happened after?
In Thailand, the whole country came to the aid of the injured by raking garbage, evacuating those who were left homeless and helping the wounded.
Royal elephants were attracted to clear the large rubble, 6 of which starred in the Hollywood film "Alexander".
An interesting fact - an elephant during the tsunami saved the life of a girl who rode it on the shore. The animal felt the danger and carried towards the mountains, which saved the life of the tourist.
Not without looting.
Inhumans, (there is no other name for them), taking advantage of the general panic and confusion, they stole children who were disoriented and could not find loved ones. There are known facts of selling babies abroad and recruiting children into sexual slavery.
They plundered houses, hotels, hotels and what could be stolen using the opportunity. Unfortunately, tragedy not only unites but also divides people. "No-man's" property intoxicates the head.
The aftermath of the tsunami in Thailand
The consequences of the tsunami were simply catastrophic not only for Indonesia, India, Myanmar and Malaysia, but also for Thailand.
Tourists threw things and flew away on the very first flight, the credibility of Thai resorts was completely undermined, and given that the tsunami happened at the height of the tourist season, in December, Thailand suffered billions of dollars in losses.
It took years to rebuild trust and many actions to bring tourists back to the islands.
The first thing the authorities did was install the most powerful deep-sea tsunami warning system. The siren starts howling and notifies about the approach of waves 1-2 hours before the incident. It was already tested on April 11, 2012, when it took just an hour to evacuate absolutely all residents of Phuket to the mountains.
Residents of smaller islands such as Phi Phi also have nothing to worry about. And everything is prepared for evacuation there, fortunately the mountains are of such size that no waves are terrible.
Thousands of Thais, dependent on tourism-related industries, have lost their jobs not only in the south, but also in the poorest part of Thailand, Isan in the northeast, from where many of the tourism industry has come.
By January 12, some of the affected resorts in the south had reopened, and the Thai government launched an advertising campaign to bring tourists back to the area as soon as possible, although everyone knew it would be a long time before Thailand was back to normal. (it took almost 5 years).
Damage and losses from the 2004 tsunami in Thailand
The fishing industry suffered from extensive destruction of fishing vessels and gear that individual fishing families could not afford to replace, especially as many also lost their homes.
According to the information, more than 500 fishing vessels and ten trawlers were destroyed, as well as many piers and fish processing enterprises. Again, grants or loans from the government were needed to allow the industry to retool itself.
Ridiculous losses
Another problem was public aversion in Thailand for eating fish caught locally, for fear that the fish were eating human corpses that were thrown into the sea by the tsunami.
Thais found this opportunity offensive for both health and religious reasons.
Fish distributors refused to buy fish and crustaceans from ports in the Andaman Sea and preferred to buy from ports in the Gulf of Thailand or even Malaysia or Vietnam so that they could convince consumers that there was no chance of such contamination.
As a result, even those fishing families who could fish could not sell their catch.
It got better after the Director General of the World Health Organization, Dr. Lee Jong-wook, appeared on Thai TV to say that he eats fish every day.
About a month after the tsunami, the Thai cabinet approved a $ 1.79 billion tsunami relief bill.
Most of the money was in the form of soft loans for business recovery. Some of the money came in the form of grants to people who lost relatives and property in the disaster.
Could Thailand be tsunami again?
Can. Closest to Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, India, Malaysia, shakes almost constantly.
Modern warning systems will not allow death and casualties, as people will be evacuated on time. But! If, in principle, you are not close to the idea of \u200b\u200brelaxing on the coast with high seismic activity, then you should choose resorts located in the Gulf of Thailand, for example: Pattaya, Rayong, Samet Island, Hua Hin, Cha Am or Ko Lan Island.
They are closed from the tsunami by the Malacca Peninsula and Vietnam and Cambodia.
The most that can happen here is the exit of the Mekong or Chao Phraya from the banks, which does not pose a mortal danger.
How to act during a natural disaster?
1 - Collect all the necessary things, documents, drinking water, keep children nearby
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3 - do not go down until the cataclysm has completely passed, since the first wave is not always the strongest
A powerful tsunami occurred on December 26, 2004 in Thailand, at the very peak of the season. Its cause is an underwater earthquake in the Indian Ocean. Until now, it is considered one of the most serious natural disasters in modern history and the third most severe in the entire history of observation. Its power was 9.1 points on the Richter scale.
The force of the elements can be judged if only because it backfired even in South Africa, where there were recorded waves of 1.5 m.Around the world, this event claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people, according to various estimates, the number of victims of the tsunami in 2004 was from 200,000 up to 300,000 people.
Watch the video
The epicenter of the earthquake was located near the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The countries located directly next to it have suffered the most: Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, Maldives, Myanmar, Malaysia and others. Waves 15 m high reached the coasts of states at different times - to Sumatra very quickly, to India - after 1.5 hours, and to Somalia - after 7 hours. The tsunami reached the mainland of Thailand 2 hours after the earthquake.
The large number of casualties is attributed to the poor warning system and tsunami recognition. The fact is that huge waves appear only near the coast, and in the ocean they are not very high. A good indicator was the animals that left all coastal areas overnight and rushed into the mountains. But in the process of evolution, man lost his intuition and connection with nature, therefore he rested as if nothing had happened.
Tsunami in Thailand in 2004
A tsunami in 2004 hit the western part of Thailand, which goes into the Andaman Sea, Phuket, Phi Phi, Khao Lak, Lanta, Krabi, and the Similian Islands were severely affected. It is estimated that about 9,000 people died, with the majority being tourists and not the local population.
Externally, the tsunami in Thailand in 2004 looked like this: suddenly the water began to leave the coast into the sea for a very long distance and after a few minutes everyone saw giant waves approaching the coast. There were only 1-2 minutes left for the rescue. Since the wave height reached 10-15 meters, many "undersized" hotels were flooded. However, we will omit the details so as not to remember the tragedy once again. Probably everyone saw the news footage that flew around the world: twisted trees, cars, trains ...
Tsunami in Phuket in 2004
The tsunami affected almost the entire western coast of Phuket, where the most are located - Patong, Karon, Kamala and Kata. The infrastructure was partially destroyed - hotels, restaurants, bars, clubs. It is estimated that several hundred people died.
Although the tsunami on Phuket Island caused great damage, the infrastructure was rebuilt very quickly. In fact, by 2006, nothing reminded of this tragic event.
Tsunami in 2012
The 2012 tsunami is a failed tsunami and, in a sense, even a curious incident. Many do not even know what it was. But first things first.
Should you be afraid of a tsunami in Thailand in Phuket, Phi Phi and others
Having described all the horrors of the tsunami above, many will decide not to get involved with Thailand and forever deprive themselves of the joy of rest in the resorts of the Andaman coast. We hasten to calm you down. Our answer is clear - not worth it. The fact is that after the tragedy of 2004, the Thai government, together with American experts, installed a deep-water system (the largest in the world) for early detection of tsunami. A loudspeaker system was also installed on the coast, which notifies the population of the approaching disaster in several languages. And all this happens a couple of hours before the alleged disaster. An evacuation system has already been worked out, which will quickly take people to safe areas, away from the sea.
You may ask, what about such small ones as the Phi Phi Islands, where you don't really get away from the coast. Again, our answer is don't worry. There are huge mountains, compared to which the height of the 15 meters wave is just dwarf.
The early warning system was tested on April 11, 2012, when there was a tsunami in Thailand and when the entire west coast of Phuket was evacuated, which I witnessed. So everything is fine, welcome to the resorts of the Andaman coast!
If you are still plagued by vague doubts, then relax in the resorts of the Gulf of Thailand. They are successfully protected by the Malacca Peninsula from the tsunami in the Indian Ocean and Cambodia and Vietnam from the tsunami in the Pacific Ocean. The safest are located in the very depths of the Gulf of Thailand - Pattaya, Rayong, Hua Hin, Cha Am, Samet Island and Ko Lan. If you come to Thailand for a long time and the sea is not particularly important for you, then go to the north of the country, where the worst thing that can happen is to overflow the banks of the Chao Phraya or Mekong rivers. Of course, this is an unpleasant event, but not fatal.
