One of the most powerful earthquakes in history hit Asia on Sunday, unleashing a tsunami which devastated coastal areas of Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia and tourist isles in Thailand, killing more than 11,300 people. The tsunami, a menacing wall of water, wreaked death, chaos and destruction across southern Asia. Up to 10 metres (30 feet) high, the tsunami was triggered by an 8.9 magnitude underwater earthquake off the Indonesian island of Sumatra. "It was a terrible sight," Jayaram Jayalalithaa, chief minister of Tamil Nadu state, said after touring areas of India, where 3,000 people were killed. "I could see dead bodies all around and the devastation is of colossal proportions." Emergency services struggled around the region popular with Western tourists flying east for Christmas sunshine. Some areas were totally unprepared and tourists found their holidays turned into disaster zones while anxious families at home awaited news. In Sri Lanka, where the death toll reached 3,500, corpses floated in floodwaters, while thousands fled their homes and cars floated out to sea. Idyllic beaches were turned into fields of debris and destruction. Around 750,000 people were displaced. --More 2223 Local Time 1923 GMT
