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Tsunami Press Room

© Courtesy of the BBC

An earthquake of magnitude 9.0 unleashed massive tidal waves across South Asia and East Africa on early Sunday morning, 26 December 2004, killing tens of thousands of people.

Following the 9.0 quake which hit northern Sumatra, powerful tsunamis with waves up to ten metres high slammed into the coasts of India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, the Maldives, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Seychelles, and Somalia, devastating thousands of kilometres of coastline – and the communities that depended on them.  

The tsunami wiped away homes, schools, and health facilities; it demolished roads, bridges and power lines; it irrevocably altered the lives of millions of people. Tragically, UNICEF estimates that children account for more than one-third of deaths.

On 6 January, 2004, UNICEF, through the larger UN Consolidated Flash Appeal, announced that it would seek $144.5 million to support urgent humanitarian aid for the estimated 1.5 million affected children in South Asia. The appeal outlines how UNICEF will respond to critical and emerging needs, particularly those related to:

• Emergency immunization to prevent fatal childhood diseases; 
• Supply of clean, safe water and provision of basic sanitation;
• Special feeding for malnourished children and pregnant women; 
• Care for traumatized children; 
• Protection for unaccompanied and separated children; and 
• Provision of education kits and the rehabilitation of schools to ensure that children return to school as soon as possible.

UNICEF is working in close collaboration with the affected Governments to plan for the long term. Our goal is not only to rebuild what has been destroyed, but to ‘build back better’ – better schools, better health facilities, and better opportunities for children.

Fact sheets: Key statistics.
Contact us: For interviews and details from the ground.
Download: High resolution photos of UNICEF Press Officers 

Resources:

© Rune Feldt-Rasmussen AFP/Getty Images

A Russian airplane hired by Danish UNICEF is loaded with aid at Kastrup Airport in Copenhagen before it takes off for Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Fact sheets & Publications: Combating the spread of disease

• Deadly diseases: Potential disease threats [pdf]
• Basic child indicators in tsunami countries [pdf]
• Common water and sanitation-related diseases
• What UNICEF does best in water and sanitation
• Meeting the MDG Drinking Water and Sanitation Target: a Mid-Term Assessment of Progress

Learn more about UNICEF's work in water, environment and sanitation.

Children in tsunami-affected countries

Children account for a large proportion of casualties both because they represent 39 percent of the overall population of the eight hardest-hit countries and because they were physically less able to outrun the water or withstand the force of the water and/or debris.

*(in thousands, 2003); source: SOWC 2005

At a glance:

Indonesia | Sri Lanka | India | Thailand
Malaysia | Myanmar | Somalia | Sri Lanka's civil war

	Headquarters
	UNICEF Chief of Media Relations Alfred Ironside, Communication Division in New York. + 1 212 326 7261
	UNICEF Media Officer Jehane Sedky-Lavandero, Communication Division in New York. + 1 212 326 7269
	Copenhagen
	UNICEF Supply Division Director Alan Court acourt@unicef.org
	South Asia Regional Office
	UNICEF Senior Regional Communication Officer for South Asia Martin Dawes, at UNICEF’s office in Colombo, Sri Lanka. + 94 11 2555270 x250
	East Asia and Pacific Regional Office
	UNICEF Senior Regional Communication Officer for East Asia and Pacific Region Madeline Eisner, at UNICEF’s office in Bangkok, Thailand. + 66 2 356 9406
	UNICEF Regional Communication Officer for East Asia and Pacific Region Shantha Bloemen, at UNICEF’s office in Bangkok, Thailand. + 66 2 356 9407
	UNICEF Programme Division Director Edwin Joseph Judd in Indonesia. + 62 811 936 437
	UNICEF Country Representatives
	UNICEF Representative for Sri Lanka Ted Chaiban, at UNICEF office in Colombo, Sri Lanka. tchaiban@unicef.org