An undersea earthquake struck southern Asia on 26 December 2004, sending waves through coastal resorts and killing close to 28,000 people. Thai officials reported that more than 700 foreign tourists had died in southern Thailand alone.
At least 67 Europeans were confirmed dead by 28 December, with thousands more unaccounted for across Thailand, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and neighboring countries. Sweden faced the sharpest uncertainty: operators could not locate roughly 1,600 of an estimated 20,000 Swedish holidaymakers believed to be in the Phuket area.
Casualties spread across the continent. Norway confirmed 13 dead and up to 40 injured. Italy reported at least 13 killed and roughly 100 missing. France counted 22 dead and 29 unaccounted for. Britain's Foreign Office confirmed 15 deaths across Thailand, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives, with up to 10,000 British tourists believed to be in the affected region.
Thirty Turkish nationals were missing, Türkiye's foreign ministry said, including 21 in Thailand, three in Sri Lanka, and smaller numbers in Myanmar, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Maldives.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this AFP wire report, first published in December 2004, in its own words.