01.58 Swedish time on December 26, 2004, 07.58 local time: The seabed off the Indonesian island of Sumatra begins to shake in an earthquake that quickly escalates to terrifying proportions. The magnitude is later calculated to 9.3 on the Richter scale, the third highest ever measured (moment magnitude scale is used instead of the Richter scale, editor's note).
02.15 Swedish time, 08.15 local time: A quarter of an hour after the quake, up to 30-meter high flood waves pour in over the Indonesian province of Aceh. The waves are preceded by the sea "disappearing", which lures people out to investigate the temporarily exposed beaches. When the waves pour in, they destroy everything in their path. Over 167,000 people die in Indonesia during the tsunami. The majority of them are in the Aceh province.
04.30 Swedish time, 10.30 local time: The flood waves after the quake, up to ten meters high, reach Thailand's west coast. Tens of thousands of Swedes are in the country. Popular tourist destinations like Khao Lak and Phi Phi Islands are almost wiped out by the waves, and Phuket is also severely affected. Around the same time as the water reaches Thailand, the waves have also traveled to the island nation of Sri Lanka. There, over 35,000 people will die in the waves.
05.43 Swedish time, 11.43 local time: TT's Jenny Ryderstedt is in Phuket, Thailand, and calls in to report how the waves are pouring in. During the hours that follow, chaos and panic reign as the tsunami waves reach land. However, it will take many hours before the full extent of the disaster becomes clear to Sweden and the rest of the world.
11.56 Swedish time: The Ministry for Foreign Affairs issues a correction. Earlier, it was stated that "all Swedes in the disaster-stricken areas in Thailand, southern India, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives are safe". That is not true. The Ministry does not know if any Swede has been injured or killed in Thailand.
Around 18.00, Swedish time: The tsunami reaches South Africa, 8,500 kilometers from the disaster center. The waves are 1.5 meters high. Further north, in Somalia, the waves also come ashore. There, nearly 300 people die.
18.15 Swedish time: The total death toll from the quake and tsunami has risen to over 10,000, report news agencies from Asia. In Thailand, Boxing Day has become December 27, and many still have not received either care or help in the chaos.
Evening Swedish time, night local time: Foreign Minister Laila Freivalds (S) goes to the theater. Her, and the government's, actions in connection with the disaster will be heavily criticized and become the subject of several investigations. In Thailand, Ambassador Jonas Hafström has arrived in Phuket. The hospitals are overflowing with seriously injured tourists, many of them Swedes. A list is faxed at 20.15, Swedish time, of missing, injured, and surviving persons.
09.02 Swedish time on December 27, 15.02 local time: A new report comes from the Swedish Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand. An hour later, Laila Freivalds understands the extent of the disaster at a meeting at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. "Then I heard how many Swedes were in the area," she says later. "The risk was there for a very, very serious situation."
15.00 Swedish time: A press conference is held, where Prime Minister Göran Persson (S) participates. Millions of Swedes follow on radio and TV. The message from Persson is that around ten Swedes have died. He adds that the number will rise.
It will take several months before the final death toll is established: A total of nearly 230,000 people, most of them in Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.
Around 30,000 Swedes were in Thailand during the Christmas weekend of 2004. 543 lost their lives, of whom over 140 were children. Many of them died when the waves poured in at Khao Lak in Thailand.
