2004 INDIAN OCEAN TSUNAMI IN THAILAND: DAMAGE, WAVES, AREAS IMPACTED

GREAT TSUNAMI OF 2004 IN THAILAND

20120530-tsunami 2004-tsunami.jpg
2004 tsunami in Thailand At 7:59am local Sumatra and Thailand time on a Sunday after Christmas Day the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami earthquake occurred off the coast of Sumatra. About 1 hour and 45 minutes after the earthquake the first tsunami waves struck the Phuket area of Thailand.. The waves kept coming for around two hours. The tsunami hit during high tide. The waves that did the most damage were slow, steep and closely-packed. This is because the sea around the west coast of Thailand is relatively shallow, which slowed the waves down considerably.

The final death toll of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami in Thailand was 5,395, of which 1,953 were believed to be foreigners. Many locals and tourists were caught off-guard by the tsunami, as there was no prior warning. Another 2,929 were listed as missing according to one source. Almost all were never found

According to Reuters:
Dead: 5,395; Missing: 2,817; Total: 8,212
Displaced: 6,000
Damaged or Destroyed Buildings: 4,800
Estimated Cost: US$1.6 billion
Estimated Recovery Cost: US$0.5 billion
[Source: Reuters, December 16, 2009]

The tsunami struck six provinces in Thailand. Many coral reefs were destroyed by the tsunami. The great waves snapped hundreds of sea fans. Debris from the tsunami littered natural areas. One green turtle was washed almost a mile inland and deposited in a pond north of Phuket. Some people in boats rescued survivors pulled out to sea. Others kept their distance.

Areas of Thailand Affected by the 2004 Tsunami

Areas of Thailand affected by the 2004 Tsunami

The 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami affected six provinces in Thailand. Major locations damaged included the western shores of Phuket island, the resort town of Khao Lak in Phang Nga Province, the coastal provinces of Krabi, Satun, Ranong and Trang and small offshore islands like Ko Racha Yai, the Phi Phi islands, the Surin Islands and the Similan archipelago. Hardest hit was the Southwest coast of Thailand, particularly Phuket and the resort areas of Phi Phi and Khao-Lak.

The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami caused extensive damage along Thailand’s Andaman coast, including the popular resort areas of Krabi Province. In Ao Nang, video recordings showed the tsunami arriving as a series of powerful surges that appeared as white breakers advancing toward the shore. The waves lifted yachts and boats from their moorings and carried them inland before depositing them on beaches. On Koh Lanta, footage captured a wall of water sweeping across the coastline, while other recordings showed tsunami waves resembling large surf breaks approaching the shore, lifting vessels and inundating beachfront areas. At Koh Sriboya, the tsunami moved inland as a turbulent bore, whereas at Koh Phayam in Ranong Province, witnesses described the tsunami as a distinct wall of water advancing across the coast. [Source: Wikipedia]

The tsunami was also observed around offshore islands, including the Similan and Surin Islands. Scuba divers in the area reported experiencing sudden and powerful underwater currents associated with the passing tsunami waves. On the Similan Islands, video recordings documented tsunami waters surging inland and washing away camping equipment and other belongings. At the Surin Islands, tourists were caught off guard as the waves arrived, with some people being dragged seaward by the strong retreating currents. These accounts demonstrated that the tsunami’s effects extended well beyond mainland coastlines and were felt throughout the Andaman Sea region.

Waves from the 2004 Tsunami in Thailand

Thailand was struck by a series of five distinct tsunami waves. The most severe wave impact occurred between 10:30am and 12:05pm local time, and the major flooding and wave activity lasted for roughly two hours before the water receded. The first smaller waves reached the western coast of Thailand (including Phuket, Phang Nga, and Khao Lak) at roughly 10:00am. a.m. local time, about two hours after the magnitude 9.1 earthquake in Sumatra that generated the tsunami.

The largest and most destructive waves hit shortly after, around 10:30am. Eyewitness accounts and scientific reconstructions document a series of five main waves, spaced roughly 15 to 25 minutes apart. While most of the waves along the Thai coastline measured between 5 and 10 meters (16.4 to 33 feet) in height, some severely impacted areas (such as Khao Lak) saw towering walls of water that exceeded 10 meters (33 feet), with the maximum run-up reaching up to 19.6 meters (64 feet) in certain localized spots.

In many places the arrival of the tsunamis was preceded by a receding seas which exposed the sea bottom for considerable distance, including previously submerged rocks and reefs. According to eyewitness reports in Phi Phi, the first wave arrived at about 10:30am am local time and it was about 4 meters (13 feet) high. The second wave arrived about 2.5 minutes later and it was 7 (23 feet) meters. The third about 11 meters (36 feet) . The waves destroyed all beachfront hotels, bungalows and other structures at Phi Phi and hurled boats and other floating objects considerable distances. All electricity and phone lines were cut. [Source: Dr. George Pararas-Carayannis, 2007]

massive wave floods the Chedi Hotel in Phuket, Thailand in 2004

Thailand experienced the second largest tsunami run-up after Aceh in Sumatra. Tsunami runup more or less is the peak height of waves when they hit the shore.. Runup is a measurement of the height of the water onshore observed above sea level.

Tsunami Wave Heights at Some Places in Thailand
Khao Lak: 6–10 meters (20–33 feet)
West Coast of Phuket Island: 3–6 meters (9.8–19.7 feet)
South Coast of Phuket Island 3 meters (9.8 feet) along the
East Coast of Phuket Island 2 meters (6 feet 7 inches)
Phi Phi Islands: 4–6 meters (13–20 feet)
Ban Thung Dap: 19.6 meters (64 feet)
Ramson: 5 meters (16 feet)
Ban Thale Nok: 6.8 meters (22 feet)
Hat Praphat (Ranong Coastal Resources Research Station): 5 meters (16 feet)
Thai Mueang District: 6.3 meters (21 feet)
Rai Dan: 6.8 meters (22 feet) [Source: Wikipedia]

Impact the 2004 Tsunami on Thailand Beach Areas

Thailand was in the middle of the tourist season. There were hundreds of thousands of foreigner in the country. Hotels were filled foreigners. In many places the sea receded a great distance before the largest waves hit. When the water went out many people thought it had something to do with the moon. Bill O’Leary, an employee of the Amanouri resort, knew it was a sign of a tsunami. He is credited with saving scores of lives by warning people to run inland before the waves arrived. But others were killed because they had no clue what was happening. The New York Times reported: “Bodies littered the once crowded beach resorts. Near the devastated Similan Beach and Spa Resort, where mostly German tourists were staying, a naked corpse hung suspended from a tree as if crucified.”

Phuket Province was also heavily affected, particularly along its western beaches. At Patong Beach, one of Thailand’s most popular tourist destinations, the tsunami initially arrived as a relatively small flood that swept away vehicles and caught many people by surprise. Approximately ten minutes later, the sea temporarily retreated before a much larger wave approached and inundated the coastline. Footage from Kamala Beach showed tsunami waters flooding the ground floor of a restaurant and sweeping away people caught in its path. At Karon, Kamala, and Kata beaches, the tsunami advanced inland as a fast-moving flood that carried vehicles and people. In some locations, elevated coastal roads provided partial protection to hotels situated behind them. [Source: Wikipedia]

The Choksiriphon, a fishing boat swept ashore in the village of Ban Nam Khem, Phang-nga Province, Thailand; now a the Ban Nam Khem Tsunami Museum

Along Phuket’s eastern coast, tsunami heights were about 2 meters (6.6 feet), and numerous boats were damaged near river mouths. Researchers observed that the tsunami propagated counterclockwise around Phuket Island, a pattern similar to that documented during the 1993 Hokkaido earthquake tsunami at Okushiri Island. Interviews with survivors indicated that the second wave was generally the largest. Wave heights along parts of Phuket’s coast reached 5–6 meters (16–20 feet), with inundation depths of approximately 2 meters. The tsunami also struck Koh Racha Yai, flooding resorts and causing significant loss of life. Approximately 250 people died directly as a result of the tsunami on the island.

The Phi Phi Islands, a group of small but heavily visited islands, experienced severe impacts from the tsunami. The northern bay of Phi Phi Don Island faces northwest toward the source of the tsunami, and surveys recorded a tsunami height of 5.8 meters (19 feet) along this shoreline. Witnesses reported that waves appeared to arrive from both the northern and southern sides of the island. Much of the developed area, including cottages and hotels, stood only about 2 meters above sea level, making it highly vulnerable to flooding. The southern bay, which faces southeast and is partly shielded from the open ocean, experienced somewhat lower tsunami heights. Phi Phi Le Island provided partial protection to the port area of Phi Phi Don, where the measured tsunami height was 4.6 meters (15 feet). Video footage recorded by tourists showed the tsunami initially advancing inland as a shallow flood before rapidly intensifying and engulfing beaches, resorts, and other coastal infrastructure. In some cases, boats and yachts were swept away by the powerful currents.

2004 Tsunami Strikes Khao Lak

Among the hardest-hit places in Thailand was the quite resort town of Khao Lak, situated along the Andaman Sea coast and known for its sandy beaches, seaside resorts, and nearby rainforest-covered hills. Video footage recorded by a local restaurant manager from a hillside overlooking the beach showed that the tsunami was preceded by a dramatic withdrawal of the sea, exposing large areas of the seafloor. Many residents and tourists moved onto the exposed seabed, some collecting stranded fish. Minutes later, a powerful wave of foaming water struck the coast, sweeping away people who had little opportunity to escape.

Another video, filmed by a German family from the beach, captured the tsunami approaching from offshore. Initially visible as a thin white line on the horizon, the wave gradually increased in size as it moved toward the shore. The tsunami engulfed a jet skier and lifted two police boats before inundating coastal areas. Field surveys later measured a maximum inland penetration of approximately 2 kilometers (1.2 miles), with water depths ranging from 4 to 7 meters (13 to 23 feet). Evidence indicated that tsunami waters reached as high as the third floor of some resort hotels.

Images of Khao Lak in Thailand before and after the 26 December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. a) Pre-event Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) image (November 15, 2002); () Post-event ASTER image (December 31, 2004); c) ASTER image with Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) Elevation range mask within 10 m of Sea Level; Image credits: ASTER: NASA

The exceptional size of the tsunami at Khao Lak has been attributed in part to local coastal and seabed conditions. Offshore coral reefs and a broad, shallow seafloor caused the incoming tsunami waves to slow and compress, increasing their height as they approached the coast. This process, known as wave shoaling, amplified the destructive force of the tsunami and contributed to the extensive flooding and damage observed in the area.

The behavior of the tsunami at Khao Lak was similar to that reported in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, where shallow coastal waters also intensified the waves before landfall. In both locations, local geographical features played a significant role in magnifying the tsunami's impact, resulting in severe destruction and heavy loss of life.

Grief and Destruction at Khao Lak Resort After the December 2004 Tsunami

The resort of Khao Lak was devastated by the tsunami. More than 2,000 foreign tourists died or went missing there. Most of the European who died in the tragedy were in Khao Lak and nearly half of all the people that died in Thailand in the disaster died there. The waves that struck Khao Lak were between 3.1 meters and 10.6 meters in height and struck the shore at speeds of between six and eight meters per second. One Japanese scientist estimated that the force of the waves that hit Khao Lak were “20 percent that of a Hiroshima bomb.”

Nick Cumming-Bruce wrote in the New York Times: “Nowhere in Thailand is the cost of the disaster more visible than at Khao Lak, about 100 kilometers, or 60 miles, north of Phuket, where two-and-a-half-year-old Rangnar was lost, one of at least 1,000 people — and probably many more — missing or dead in that area. Waves appear to have struck Khao Lak, a newly emerging hub of holiday resorts and diving shops, with a fury far greater than at Phuket. The force of the water hurled victims — as well as mud, trees, vehicles and the debris of buildings — hundreds of meters inland. A 12-meter, or 40-foot, police vessel that was patrolling the bay when the wave struck now rests against a line of trees a kilometer or more from the shore. [Source: Nick Cumming-Bruce, New York Times, December 30, 2004]

“The deputy interior minister, Sutham Sangprathum, said that more than 700 foreign tourists were among those confirmed dead in the country. Khao Lak is expected to account for half of all those killed in Thailand. Casualty lists posted in hospitals make it clear that the great majority of the visitors to this stretch of coast were European: French, German, Swedish and British in particular. Sweden alone is believed to have had 20,000 to 30,000 citizens on vacation in the area hit by the tsunami, and officials fear that many of the 1,000 whose fate is unknown will never be found. From the estimates given by Swedish tour groups, many of these were in the Khao Lak area.

“The white-and-gold coffin of a young South Korean bride also killed at Khao Lak, now in a Buddhist temple in Phuket, underlines the many other nations caught in Thailand's share of this Asia-wide disaster. South Korea has said that 4 of its citizens are dead and 11 missing in Thailand, and South Korean Embassy officials prepared chrysanthemums and incense for use at traditional funeral rites requested by relatives.

“Chuleeporn Sermsirimanon, owner of the Khao Lak Paradise Resort, looked through the debris around the hotel's shattered two-story guest houses for personal documents to pass on to local police and foreign consular officials. He recalled how, moments before the tsunami struck, the sea had receded, prompting many guests to flock onto the beach to watch and photograph the phenomenon.

“The resort received a phone call warning of imminent danger, but it came too late to alert the 54 guests. Workers ran to the beach, shouting, but guests were too busy taking pictures to notice, an assistant manager of the resort said, and nine of them were killed. Five of the resort's Thai staff also were killed, Chuleeporn said. Farther north along the coast, similar scenes unfolded at the much bigger Sofitel Magic Lagoon, owned by the French hotel group Accor, where 415 guests were staying at the time the wave struck. Company officials in Paris say that only 135 of them have been accounted for.

Devastation on Phi Phi After the December 2004 Tsunami

The day after the disaster AFP reported: “Thailand's once-idyllic Phi Phi island Monday was a scene of utter devastation following a calamitous Asian earthquake that sent tidal waves crashing over beaches...Hardly a building was left standing in the wake of the tsunamis, with rows of chalets next to the island's only ferry terminal splintered or collapsed. Wirat Mansa-ad, who was conducting official rescue operations on the small group of islands in the kingdom's south, told AFP earlier, said, "I saw bodies almost everywhere on land, and in the water too, and I think there are many more bodies trapped under the bungalow debris," adding that most of the fatalities were of elderly tourists.[Source: Roslan Rahma, AFP, December 27, 2004]

“Witnesses informed him that about 200 tourists had barely disembarked from their boat at Phi Phi when they were washed away by one of the tidal waves, he said. Bodies were seen strewn about the island, covered in white cloths before being taken away by emergency crews or Western tourists volunteering in the rescue.

“Hundreds of workers and foreign tourists, including several injured, had been evacuated from the 28-square-kilometre (11-square-mile) main Phi Phi island, leaving about 800 still stranded in the island's hills. Thai military and rescue organisations launched relief operations across the kingdom's southern provinces, where the death toll was climbing steadily, with more than 3,800 injured. Krabi's provincial governor Anont Promnart earlier said he feared at least 100 tourists may have died on the idyllic main island, which was the backdrop for Hollywood blockbuster "The Beach" starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

“Within one catastrophic minute the island found itself under the Andaman Sea, its pristine environment literally uprooted by nature's wrath. "I saw nothing left," said Malee Arab, a 31-year-old housekeeper at the Princess Bungalows who spent Sunday night in the hilltop jungle, snatching floating packets of food and bottled water from destroyed hotels and restaurants for sustainance. "Waves came from every side and they crashed together in the middle of the island," she said. "I am very lucky to be alive. I can't find my co-workers," she said.

“Kanya Srion, 20, a waitress at a Phi Phi restaurant, recalled stepping over dozens of bodies hours after she saw the waves "chasing people down". "The waves swept everything off the beach: tables, people, trees, everything." Thai vacationer Pornchai Pongsanthia was filming holiday footage of a white-sand beach on Phi Phi when he saw a wall of water through his lens. He ran upstairs into a hotel as the water kept rising. "It pushed some people who were downstairs up to the second floor," the Bangkok Post quoted him as saying. "They tried to hold on to anything they could and screamed for help."

Impact the 2004 Tsunami on the Poor Thai Fishing Village of Ban Nam Khem

An estimated 2,000 people were killed in the fishing village of Ban Nam Khem. The village lost half of its residents.Peter S. Goodman wrote in the Washington Post: The tsunami brought catastrophe to some of the world's poorest and most vulnerable communities — including subsistence fishing villages and transient settlements where people without the means to erect homes of brick and mortar fashioned flimsy shelters from bamboo, thatch and aluminum sheets. While the line between life and death was often accidental, the general poverty of the villagers made them all vulnerable to seaborne danger. Kanchlee and her parents, for example, were landless. They rented a house next to the pier and earned about $8 a day selling plates of rice and noodles to the fishermen who tied up their brightly painted vessels there. When the water came, there was only one way out — up a narrow road lined with engine repair stalls. [Source: Peter S. Goodman, Washington Post, December 30, 2004]

Three days after the tsunami, “the people of Ban Nam Khem were reminded once more how close is the sea's danger, and how slim the avenue of escape. As rescue workers hacked at the boards of a collapsed house, hoping to extricate a woman who was reportedly still alive, more than 100 people gathered to watch. The onlookers were buoyed by word that, three days after the tsunami, someone was going to be rescued from under the rubble. But when they heard faint squeals coming from the ruins, the crowd realized that the only life below belonged to a piglet. The woman was dead. When the workers pulled the animal out, some people smiled or laughed with a hint of survivor's pride: So much death around us, but we are still alive.

“Then, in an instant, everything changed again. Someone shouted that the waves were coming back, and hundreds of people began running up the road as fast as they could. Some jumped into pickup trucks, then panicked as they encountered other vehicles coming down the hill. "Go back! Go back! Water!" the drivers shouted. It was a false alarm, but the trucks pulled out fast as policemen whistled at the incoming vehicles to turn back. In the trucks' open beds, people held hands and hugged, exchanging looks of terror.

Sea Turtles Caught up in the 2004 Tsunami in Thailand

Associated Press reported: “Endangered sea turtles were also casualties of the tsunami, with the monster waves possibly hastening their extinction, a marine expert said Saturday. At least 24 turtles swept up by the waves have been found on the shores of Phuket island, some dead, others with cuts, scrapes and broken shells. But the titanic wave also swept away about two dozen endangered olive ridley turtles that were part of a breeding program which had been increasing their numbers. "In the worse-case scenario, the effect of the tsunami could make some species of sea turtles extinct," said Kongkiat Kittiwattanawong, a marine biologist at Phuket Marine Biological Center, said.[Source: Rungrawee C. Pinyorat, Associated Press, January 10, 2005]

“When the wall of water swept ashore, the immediate focus was on saving human lives, and marine center workers pitched in. Now they are finding the damage to the sea turtle was severe, perhaps irreparable. Since sea turtles move slowly, breathe through their lungs and need to surface regularly for oxygen, they were particularly susceptible to the tsunami. Some 20 out of 30 breeding olive ridley turtles that were raised in a cement pool near the sea were swept away. Their fate is unknown. It is unclear if they can survive in the sea.

“The green, hawksbill, olive ridley and leatherback turtles, which are found in tropical waters, live 18 feet from shore, making them vulnerable to waves that dumped dolphins and other sea creatures more than a half-mile inland. The olive ridley and leatherback are listed as threatened or endangered. In the tsunami-affected region, the olive ridley breed only on the Andaman Sea coast and nearly became extinct in Thailand, because their eggs were smuggled for food. Their numbers fell from 5,000 nests 50 years ago to fewer than 200 today.

The breeding program had allowed the olive ridley with its broad heart-shaped shell to start a comeback, but it has now been dealt a serious blow. "The environment has changed, with debris and garbage strewn on the seashore and sediment in the sea," Kongkiat said. "These are not good conditions for turtles to lay eggs."

Coral and the December 2004 Tsunami in Thailand

Describing the findings of a two-week survey of coral reefs the Thailand coast around Phuket, Phi Phi and the Surin Island three and a half months after the December 2004 tsunami, Greg Stone of the New England Aquarium wrote in National Geographic: “After more than 500 dives at 56 sites, we found plenty of damage but even more reason for optimism. In the open ocean the tsunami's fast-moving waves were only a few feet high and posed little hazard to deepwater reefs. But in the shallows they slowed, piled up, and unleashed thousands of tons of force. Large bays, which can intensify the waves, were hit especially hard, with table corals big enough for a family dinner scattered and broken, and massive coral heads toppled and smothered in silt. [Source: Geographica, December 2005]

“Development on shore often worsened the damage by providing an ample supply of debris, including refrigerators, cars, and roofing, which battered the reefs as it was swept out to sea. And near the earthquake's epicenter off Indonesia — far from our survey — the seafloor was heaved up by an estimated 16 feet (4 meters), lifting some coral clear out of the water.

“Overall, though, our survey of the Andaman Sea coast and islands of southern Thailand revealed very light damage or none at all at 36 percent of the study sites and moderate damage at another 50 percent. Only 14 percent had severe damage. Except for localized kills, reef fish also seemed to have fared well. "The tsunami shook up their world like mad for a few minutes, but there are still plenty of fish around," concluded fish expert Gerry Allen of the Western Australian Museum.

“Much of the damage will heal quickly, re-creating vibrant habitats. Broken and toppled coral can continue to grow. Even dead reefs can recover, providing they haven't been buried, as coral larvae drift in and recolonize them. We also saw efforts to speed the recovery. In the Similan Islands the tsunami dislodged hundreds of delicate, decades-old sea fans, dooming them to drift around and eventually die. We watched divers in a project led by the Phuket Marine Biological Center swimming in pairs, holding six-foot (two-meter) sea fans between them like chandeliers and reattaching them to rocks using masonry nails and cement.

“The project is a rare case of humans affecting reefs for the better. Throughout our survey we saw the opposite — the effects of overfishing, development, and global warming, which can raise water temperatures and cause fatal coral bleaching. "For reefs, in the fullness of time, this tsunami was just another bad day," says Australian coral expert Charlie Veron. But human impacts are unrelenting, and reefs may not be able to shrug them off so easily.

Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons

Text Sources: National Geographic, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Smithsonian magazine, Encyclopedia.com, Library of Congress, Live Science, The Conversation, The New Yorker, Time, BBC, CNN, Reuters, Associated Press, AFP, Lonely Planet Guides, Google AI, Wikipedia, The Guardian and various websites, books and other publications.

Last updated June 2026