Sunday spelt a doomsday for most of the people living along the coastal towns of southern Asia that were hit by tsunami tidal waves which claimed 14,000 lives (still counting). The ordeal, however, is far from over as experts have warned that aftershocks may cause more flooding over the next few days.
The earthquake – world's biggest in four decades and measuring 9.0 on Richter scale – which took place off the Indonesian island of Sumatra triggered tsunami waves that devastated coastal towns from Thailand to India.
The quake occurred at a place where several huge geological plates push against each other with massive force. The survey said a 620-mile section along the boundary of the plates shifted, motion that triggered the sudden displacement of a huge volume of water.
The waves generated by tsunami, which were as high as 10 meters (33 feet), struck coastal regions of Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Somalia, Bangladesh and Maldives at a high speed destroying everything in its path.
Sri Lanka was the worst hit with more than 5,000 reported dead, while in Indonesia at least 4,448 were killed, prompting the governments of both the countries to declare national disasters.
In India, at least 4,278 people were reported dead following the freak waves that hit the country's south coast. In Thailand, at least 392 people were killed by tsunami, which struck during the south coast's peak holiday season.
Thousands more were injured on popular resort beaches including Phuket and Krabi. Most of the casualties reported are foreign tourists, and many are being treated for bone fractures.
In Malaysia, at least 53 people were killed. Popular holiday spot Penang was hardest hit, officials said. A further 32 people were killed in the Maldives. While two people were drowned in Bangladesh, India's northeastern neighbor, and one baby was washed away by the waves.
Meanwhile, the United Nations, governments and aid groups began providing help to the Asian countries stricken by Sunday's powerful earthquakes and tsunamis.
UN officials said: “UN disaster and coordination teams were being dispatched throughout the region to work with governments of affected countries in providing rescue and relief assistance. The first team has been sent to Sri Lanka and we have issued a statement on Sunday, saying the countries in the disaster zone needed portable sanitation facilities, medical supplies, tents and helicopters to evacuate people.”
Other countries like China, US, European Union, Russia, Pakistan, Greece, Singapore and many agencies from around the world have already committed relief aid to the affected regions.
Scientists said the death toll might have been reduced if India and Sri Lanka had been part of an international warning system designed to advise coastal communities that a potentially killer wave was approaching. Although Thailand is part of the system, the west coast of its southern peninsula does not have the system's wave sensors mounted on ocean buoys.
