The world's biggest earthquake in 40 years struck Sunday, December 26, 2004, off the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The 8.9 magnitude underwater quake triggered a tsunami up to 30 feet high that caused death, chaos and devastation across the coasts of south Asia. A series of waves hit Sri Lanka and India and swamped tourist isles in Thailand and the Maldives, killing more than 11,000 people. Above, a man inspects what is left of his home after the massive tsunami swept across coastal Sri Lanka. See story. Map