One of the worst natural disasters in
recorded history hits Southeast
Asia, when
the strongest earthquake in 40 years hits the entire
Indian Ocean region. The massive 9.3 magnitude
earthquake, epicentered just off the west coast of the
Indonesian island of
Sumatra, generates enormous tsunami waves that crash into the coastal areas of a number of nations including
Thailand,
India,
Sri Lanka, the
Maldives,
Malaysia,
Myanmar,
Bangladesh, and
Indonesia. The official death toll in the affected countries stands at 186,983 while more than 40,000 people are still missing.
