Earthquake and tidal waves kill more than 3000 people in SE Asia

Restaurants on Bang Tao islands (Phuket, Thailand), a picture taken by Maurice de Jong, a BBC reader.

An 8.9 magnitude earthquake created massive tidal waves today in SE Asia, a wall of water that sped across thousands of kilometers of sea. The strongest quake in the world for 40 years.

More than 3000 dead people. The Maldives Islands which is only one meter above the sea had its Capital two thirds under water.

The BBC fears for 750 000 British tourists in Thailand:

"Mary Picking, a British tourist in Phuket, told BBC News about the moment disaster struck.

She said: "We saw this enormous tidal wave approaching the beach and people started to run. "

Massive waves suddenly appeared. The BBC explains how the tsunami happened.

"This earthquake been one of the largest ever, one of the great earthquakes. There has been a rupture along a fault about 1,000km long, and that has generated a vertical displacement of about 10m. The displacement in the sea floor has generated this huge tsunami."

What's amazing is our inability to predict these terrifying events.

Coverage:
BBC: sea surges kill thousands in Asia
BBC Pictures
on CNN