In the morning of 26th December 2004 a devasting Tsunami hit Phi Phi Island - Koh Phi Phi Don - the largest and most popular island in the Phi Phi islands group. The earthquake which caused the Tsunami was the 2nd largest ever to be be instrumentally recorded with a magnitude of 9.3. However, most of the destruction and deaths were caused not by the quake but by the catastrophic tsunami waves it generated. Massive tsunami waves wiped out entire coastal areas across southeastern Asia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, Myanmar and islands in the Andaman Sea and the Maldives in the Indian Ocean.

Quoted from Wikipedia: On 26 December 2004, much of the inhabited part of Phi Phi Don was devastated by the Indian Ocean Tsunami. The island's main village, Ton Sai, is mainly built on a sandy isthmus between the island's two long, tall limestone ridges. On both sides of Ton Sai are semicircular bays lined with beaches. The isthmus rises to less than two metres (six feet) above sea level. Shortly after 10 am on the morning of 26 December, the water from both bays receded. When the tsunami hit, at 10.37 am, it did so from both bays, and met in the middle of the isthmus. The wave that came into Ton Sai Bay was 3 metres (10 ft) high. The wave that came into Loh Dalum Bay was 6.5 metres (18 ft) high. At the time of the tsunami, the island had an estimated 10,000 occupants, including tourists. After the tsunami, approximately 70% of the buildings on the island had been destroyed. By the end of July 2005, an estimated 850 bodies had been recovered, and an estimated 1,200 people were still missing. The total number of fatalities is unlikely to be known however local tour guides cite the figure of 4,000. Of Phi Phi Don residents, 104 surviving children had lost one or both parents.

Local stories on Phi Phi put the total number on the island nearer 5000 with 3000 lost.

Good friends of mine were there and had the sense to run to the hills. Others faced the most impossible of dilemas - look for family members or run? The most dangerous aspect was not the wave itself but the destruction havocked on buildings, shacks and contents causing tonnes of debris to be shunted around with force. First floor level of buildings in the narrowest part of the island were completely under water. (some video footage here of the water level)

i wasn't there but i feel sort of connected to the story - my daughter and i had planned our christmas trip to Phi Phi in 2004, by some miracle of weird circumstance we cancelled at the last minute, she went to oz and i went snowboarding. we had a lucky escape.

People came and helped with the clear up, people raised money to replace and rebuild, but in the big scheme of things this lasted about 5 minutes. For the most part the local survivors who had lost everything, have had to pick themselves up. Its a testament to their courage and resilience.

I've put together a slide show here of some pictures already on the web, my apologies for deliberately excluding the hundreds of photos showing victims - just too painful to see.


Tsunami Phi Phi Island 2004

There is a somber memorial event on Phi Phi every year on 26th Dec near Cabana Hotel. Some businesses on the island light candles on the beach to remember.

Never forget