The
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake (, , , , ) occurred at 00:58:53
UTC on 26 December with an
epicentre off the west coast of
Sumatra, Indonesia. The shock had a
moment magnitude of 9.1–9.3 and a maximum
Mercalli intensity of IX (
Violent). The
undersea megathrust earthquake was caused when the Indian Plate was
subducted by the Burma Plate and triggered a series of devastating tsunamis along the coasts of most landmasses bordering the Indian Ocean, killing 230,000 people in 14 countries, and inundating coastal communities with waves up to high. It was one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history. Indonesia was the hardest-hit country, followed by Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand.