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Man oblivious that he's filming first waves of 2004 tsunami that killed 220,000 people

Home> News> World News

Updated 20:36 14 Feb 2024 GMTPublished 20:37 14 Feb 2024 GMT

Man oblivious that he's filming first waves of 2004 tsunami that killed 220,000 people

A gang of holidaymakers enjoying a morning at the beach had no idea what was about to unfold.

Olivia Burke

Olivia Burke

The camera is always out when you are on holiday - whether you're taking family snaps, documenting the incredible view or capturing the memories of visiting an iconic landmark.

But this group of tourists had no idea they were filming the first waves of the horrific Indian Ocean tsunami which struck and tragically killed 220,000 people in 2004.

Take a look at the clip here:

The gang of holidaymakers had no idea at the time, but they were witnessing the beginning of one of the biggest natural disasters to ever rock the world.

Brit cameraman Julian Hadden was soaking up the sun on a beach in Koh Ngai, Thailand, with his pals when the water first began to take a strange turn on Boxing Day 2004.

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The footage shows a man explaining they are on a 'paradise island' not too far from the Indonesian island of Sumatra, and that they had intended to go caving that morning until they were warned off it.

Julian Hadden's footage captured the first waves of the 2004 tsunami.
YouTube/@JulianHadden1

He said they had 'just about booked it' when they were informed that it wasn't safe due to the swirling waves that had started to form, adding that someone had told them: "Big issue, don't go."

Little did they know, a 9.1 magnitude earthquake had erupted underneath the Indian Ocean at 7.59am that morning.

It resulted in a 100ft high tsunami which devastated many nearby countries, as the movement of the quake was also felt in Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, the Maldives, Myanmar, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.

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The earthquake - the third-largest ever recorded - lasted for 10 minutes and released as much energy as several thousand atomic bombs.

The water continued to get angrier throughout the video.
YouTube/@JulianHadden1

Waves of water then smashed into surrounding islands, which ultimately left 227,899 tourists and locals dead, missing or presumed dead and more than 1.7 million without homes.

Julian's footage also captured the moment when things started to take a turn for the worse as the water suddenly began to envelope the beach.

The group, who are still oblivious to what is about to unfold, frantically start packing up their beach gear as a powerful wave managed to knock over one of their chairs.

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The waves then really picked up and began smashing into the beach.
YouTube/@JulianHadden1

They are also keeping a watchful eye on a boat that was near the shore which was being rocked by the strong current, before one person yells out: "Abandon ship!"

While taking in the increasing size of the waves, someone adds: "That was a big one! Look at that boat."

Julian uploaded the footage to YouTube back in 2013 and confirmed that everyone in the video survived the tsunami which followed.

He wrote in the caption: "In response to the many questions - all of us featured in this video are still alive.

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"We were on the landward side of the island of Koh Ngai, Thailand, so didn't get a direct hit - rather the wave as it washed around the island."

Featured Image Credit: YouTube/JulianHadden1

Topics: World News, YouTube

Olivia Burke
Olivia Burke

Olivia is a journalist at LADbible Group with more than five years of experience and has worked for a number of top publishers, including News UK. She also enjoys writing food reviews (as well as the eating part). She is a stereotypical reality TV addict, but still finds time for a serious documentary.

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@livburke_

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