Twelve hours before the disaster on Christmas Day, holidaymakers across Asia were enjoying blissful breaks, unaware that calamity was heading their way as two tectonic plates in the Indian Ocean that had been pushing together for millions of years were about to rupture.
Xand van Tulleken and Raksha Dave pick up the story 90 minutes after the earthquake that caused the deadly wave. The tsunami had already hit Indonesia and Thailand, but now a second wave was heading toward tourist hotspots on the Thai coast.
Dr Xand van Tulleken and Raksha Dave examine the eight hours after the destructive earthquake that caused the tsunami wave. Shockwaves were still spreading out across the world, raising sea levels more than 5,000 miles away in South Africa.
