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Tidal Wave in Southern Thailand 27-Dec-2004 At 12:51:06 PM SteveH

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-Long post warning- News report into personal feelings.

Tragedy struck South-East Asia, as the Western world celebrated Boxing Day, as an earthquake in the Indian Ocean sent tsunami waves crashing through villages and resorts on the coasts of South-East Asia.

Over 10,000 people have been reported dead, in what is believed to be the most powerful tidal wave in the Asian region for over 40 years. Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and India are in a flood of ruins with lives, cars, houses and businesses destroyed.

On the coast of Thailand, the worst affected areas were fishing villages and tourist areas between Krabi and Phuket, with the island of Koh Phi Phi (famous for the location of the shooting of the film ‘The Beach’), having 200 bungalows and two resorts swept out to sea. Helicopters and rescue personnel have the massive task of searching the ocean for bodies and survivors of local and foreign fishermen, divers and swimmers who were in the water or boats when the tsunami struck.

World Class climbing destinations, Ton Sai, and Railay, located between Phuket and Krabi have both suffered massive damage to bungalows, restaurants and resorts. It is unknown the injuries or fatalities of locals or foreign climbers in the region, but many people are now temporarily stranded with all local long tails and boats sunk, destroyed or swept out to sea.

The development and economy in these areas is completely reliant on the tourist dollar, with tourist resorts and bungalows at Ao-Nang and Railay and simple climbers accommodation at Ton Sai. In the last 7 years the area (for good or bad) has seen growth and development almost entirely due to western discovery of spectacular rock climbing and scuba diving.