The powerful earthquake off the coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra on Dec. 26, 2004, triggered a tsunami that impacted a dozen countries, reaching as far as East Africa.

Christmas in 2004, a 9.1 magnitude earthquake under the Indian Ocean triggered tsunami waves that killed some 230,000 people across a dozen countries.

On December 26, 2004, the Indian Ocean experienced one of the deadliest tsunamis in recorded history. Triggered by a massive undersea earthquake off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, the tsunami unleashed a series of towering waves that ravaged coastal regions across 14 countries.