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.
These waves are typically more devastating to the coastal region than the shaking of the earthquake that caused the tsunami. Even the more common tsunamis of about 10-20 meters can wipe clean coastal communities. Deadly tsunamis occur about every one to two years and they have at times killed thousands of people.