Even after 12 years of the 2004 tsunami in Asia, remains of at least 400 victims are still unidentified in Thailand, according to the police. The tsunami in 2004 was the deadliest ever and resulted in a loss of around 2,26,000 lives and caused massive destruction in many countries in the Asian continent.
In one of the biggest natural disasters in human history, an earthquake of 9.15 magnitude hit near the Indian Ocean triggering a massive tsunami which affected a number of countries. The worst hit countries included Thailand, India, Sri Lanka and Indonesia. Reports state that out of the victims, around 2,000 of them were foreign tourists.
"Since the 2004 tsunami, authorities have contacted between 4,000 to 5,000 relatives to come and receive bodies. There are about 400 bodies that we cannot identify," the deputy superintendent of Takua Pa district police in Phang Nga province Anand Boonkerkaew, told Reuters.
Although Thailand was one of the worst affected countries in that tsunami, it has continued with its tourist season as usual and new buildings have replaced the ones destroyed ones by the tsunami. A record 32.4 million foreign tourists were expected to visit Thailand expects in 2016.
The epicentre of the December 26 earthquake was off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia.
Numerous aftershocks were reported off the Andaman Islands, the Nicobar Islands and the region of the original epicentre in the hours and days that followed.
In Thailand, the tsunami waves first hit the southern coast of Thailand, which was around 500 km from the epicentre. The area is famous for luxurious resorts, pristine beaches and spectacular islands with Andaman blue waters which make the place a hotspot for tourists internationally. However, the tsunami left the region in tatters and approximately 5,400 people were killed and 3,100 people were reported missing in the country.
Although there was a time difference of hours between the earthquake and the subsequent tsunami, most of the people affected were taken by surprise. There was no proper tsunami warning system in the Indian Ocean to detect high waves approaching towards the land.
