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Phuket Island and
the Tsunami of December 2006
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| Extent
of the December 2004 tsunami |
Where
in the world is Phuket? |
Phuket:
the Miami Beach of Thailand |
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Old Town Phuket before tsunami
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Phuket Island, Thailand
Phuket Island, is the largest island in
Thailand at 570 square kilometers. It has approximately 231 000 registered
residents with a total population of approximately 3 million.
The island is considered one of the
major economic centres in southern Thailand. It boasts spectacular
beaches, world class hotels, historical and cultural sites, breathtaking
landscape and brilliantly clear blue waters. It is one of the most popular
holiday destinations in South East Asia.
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Buddist Temple in Phuket before the tsunami
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| On
December 26, 2004 at 10:00 a.m., approximately two hours after an
earthquake happened just off the northwest coast of
Sumatra
, tremors lasting five to ten minutes were felt in Phuket. Giant waves
rolled onto the shores of Phuket's Andaman Coast ,on the western side of
the island, inundating the lower floors of beachfront hotels and resorts
as well as homes and buildings along the entire coastline. Roads were truncated
resulting in severe traffic congestion. Sapan Hin in the city centre was
under12 metres of water.
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Phuket after the tsunami
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Phuket after the tsunami
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Governor,
Udomsak Asvarangkul, of Phuket declared a state of emergency as giant
waves pounded the western coast of the island. The results were injuries
and loss of life, capsized boats and vessels lost at sea. On the eastern
coast of Phuket Island, giant waves washed over Rassada Pier as passengers
were waiting to board ferries for
Phi
Phi
Island
.
Along the Andaman Sea Coast of Thailand, more
than 4 300 people were confirmed dead in the disaster and thousands more were
declared missing and may have been dead as well. |
