It was one of the most powerful earthquakes in history that hit Asia on Sunday, 26 December 2004, unleashing a tsunami which devastated coastal areas of Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia and tourist isles in Thailand.

The tsunami, wreaked death, chaos and destruction across southern Asia. Up to 30 feet high, the tsunami was triggered by an 8.9 magnitude underwater earthquake off the Indonesian island of Sumatra.

The quake struck about 7 a.m. (0000 GMT) and was centered about 100 miles (160 kilometers) off the coast of Indonesia's Sumatra Island at a depth of about 6.2 miles (10 kilometers).

The tsunamis' paths left massive, indiscriminate destruction in areas that included some of the world's richest tourist sites and impoverished villages.

No one was under any illusion that the death toll would not rise significantly.

Thousands were missing, an estimated one million were displaced and an estimated 250,000 were homeless.