People "borrowing" sand bags from a nearby construction site, to be used as a barrier to protect their homes from the flood, shortly after being hit by the tsunami generated by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake

Malé, the capital island of the Maldives was severely hit by the tsunami.

In the Maldives, 82 people were killed and 26 reported missing and presumed dead after it was hit by a tsunami caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake on 26 December 2004.[1] Two-thirds of the capital city Malé was flooded during the early hours of the day. Outlying low-level atolls were badly affected and some low lying islands, including some of the major resorts, were completely submerged during the high tide. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (3692x1307, 2076 KB)This is Malé, capital of the Maldives. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (3692x1307, 2076 KB)This is Malé, capital of the Maldives. ... The tsunami that struck Malé in the Maldives on December 26, 2004. ... The December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami hits Thailand The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, known by the scientific community as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake, was an undersea earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC (07:58:53 local time) on December 26, 2004. ... Tsunami Hits the Maldives (due to 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake) The photograph was taken by Sofwathulla Mohamed while standing at his doorstep in Malé, the capital island of the Maldives. ... Tsunami Hits the Maldives (due to 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake) The photograph was taken by Sofwathulla Mohamed while standing at his doorstep in Malé, the capital island of the Maldives. ... Malé (Dhivehi: މާލެ), population 81,647 (2004), is the capital of the Republic of Maldives. ... The tsunami that struck Malé in the Maldives on December 26, 2004. ... The December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami hits Thailand The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, known by the scientific community as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake, was an undersea earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC (07:58:53 local time) on December 26, 2004. ... December 26 is the 360th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, 361st in leap years. ... It has been designated the: International Year of Rice (by the United Nations) International Year to Commemorate the Struggle against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO) 2004 World Health Day topic was Road Safety (by World Health Organization) Year of the Monkey (by the Chinese calendar) See the world in... Malé (Dhivehi: މާލެ), population 81,647 (2004), is the capital of the Republic of Maldives. ... An atoll is a type of low, coral island found in tropical oceans and consisting of a coral-algal reef surrounding a central depression. ...

The government declared a state of national disaster ([2]) and a special task force has been set up to provide aid and supplies. Rescue efforts were hampered by loss of communication capability with the over one thousand islands that compose the nation, as well as by the lack of disaster planning.

External links

• If another Tsunami comes... A Life Raft
• Maldives Disaster Management Centre
• A collection of photos from Malé, Maldives
• Photos from Malé, Maldives
• More photos from Malé
• Blog with photos and thoughts from Maldives
• British Foreign Office advice for the Maldives.