20 Years On, Chennai Fishermen Recall Devastation Of 2004 Tsunami

A devasting Tsunami that struck the coasts of several countries bordering the Indian Ocean, including Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka and India marked 20 years on December 26, 2024. Fishermen along the Chennai coast recalled the giant waves that struck without warning, leaving only devastation in their wake.

Arumugam said, "When the tsunami struck, the boats, nets, and catamarans were all washed away up to the Housing Board. Many boatmen were injured. At that time, we couldn't do anything. There was no one to safeguard anything because we were only focused on saving our own lives. We thought we could earn the boats back later. We all fled to distant places."

Others recalled noticing something unusual at first and being caught by surprise when the giant waves triggered by the tsunami struck the coast.

Another fisherman, Karthi, said, "We were on the opposite side. My father had a fruit shop, and we were arranging the fruits. My dad told an elderly man that it seemed like water was coming in. Suddenly, the water rushed in, and all of us, including the fish shop owners, started running."

A powerful 9.1-magnitude earthquake off the coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra on December 26, 2004, triggered a Tsunami that killed approximately 2,30,000 people in 14 countries. Some 1.7 million people were displaced, mostly in the four worst-affected countries: Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand.