Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition Â© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 Â© HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 Cite This Source
According to Oxfam, five million people were affected of which 1.7m were made homeless, half a million were injured and more than 230,000 were killed. The TEC said 40,000 to 45,000 more women than men were killed in the tsunami.
The death toll reached higher than 220,000, and many communities suffered devastating property damage. The tsunami demolished many of the homes located within 40 m of co â¦ astal sand dunes. In some places the damage extended to buildings 132 m from shore. One of the heavily hit areas, on India's southeast coast, was widely rearranged by the tsunami waves that reached it. The wall of water created by the earthquake near Indonesia was up to four metres high when it hit land and flowed two kilometres (1.2 miles) inland. The tsunami also left its mark on farmland and fresh water. It contaminated soil and ground water areas with salt.