The undersea 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake that occurred on December 26, 2004 produced tsunamis that were among the deadliest natural disasters in modern history. The tsunamis devastated the shores of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, and other countries with waves of up to 15 m high, even reaching as far as Somalia on the east coast of Africa, 2,800 miles west of the epicenter.
Over 150,000 people are known to have died as a result of the tsunamis, and relief agencies warn of the probability of many more deaths to come as a result of disease and starvation. The plight of the many affected people and countries prompted a widespread humanitarian response.
This rare megathrust earthquake took place at 00:58:53 UTC (07:58:53 local time) in the Indian Ocean off the western coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia. At a magnitude of 9.0, it was the largest since the 9.2-magnitude Good Friday Earthquake off Alaska in 1964, and it tied for fourth largest since 1900.