Twenty years after the devastating tsunami struck Southeast Asia, many survivors, including Belgian tourists, are reflecting on the traumatic events of December 26, 2004. A massive undersea earthquake measuring 9.5 on the Richter scale triggered one of the deadliest tsunamis the world has ever seen, causing unimaginable loss of life and destruction across several countries, with more than 230,000 fatalities recorded.
Among the countless victims were hundreds of vacationers from Belgium, who had traveled to Thailand and other affected regions to escape the winter chill. Among them, actress Natacha Amal recalls the horror of the event with deep emotion. "For me, it was paradise..." she explained, reminiscing about her idyllic vacation turned nightmare. Amal was on vacation with friends when she noticed something amiss: the water, usually clear and blue, had taken on an opaque quality.
Her account continues as she highlights the suddenness with which everything changed. "We were on the boat heading to a small island, and we saw the water rising... it happened so fast," she recounted. Those haunting memories of panic, screams, and chaos remain imprinted on her mind forever. "Everyone saw just a tiny piece of this catastrophe. It was only later, when the power returned and I watched television, I began to grasp the enormity of it all," she added.
Ray Coninck, another Belgian survivor vacationing on Thailand's Krabi coast, shared his own harrowing experience amid tranquility turned chaotic. "We had been on the beach celebrating Christmas, and the next day, we were set to go on a boat trip," he remembers. The shock of the wave caught him off guard as he described being thrust underwater, coming to grips with the surreal violence surrounding him: "I surfaced from the water to breathe and then saw this wall of water.. the next second, it was total darkness." Coninck was lucky to survive but faced irreversible tragedy. "My wife was lying just 15 meters away, and we tried to revive her for 15 minutes, but she just surrendered... I’ve accepted it now, sad as it is. I don't harbor anger against nature; I find acceptance instead."
Adding to the grim narrative, journalist Frédéric Cauderlier, who arrived in Phuket shortly after the disaster, recounted the horrific scenes he encountered. "It was like an emergency hospital outdoors; injured people were pouring in from all directions. The smell of death was unbearable; it was suffocative. The bodies had been left in the water for days, compounded by the heat and humidity. I couldn't keep any clothing I wore there; I had to throw everything away on my return to Belgium," he revealed.
Cauderlier also noted the heartbreaking decisions some had to make during the disaster. He recounted the story of a Thai father: "He was running toward the mountains with his two children, and as the waves approached, he had to make the unthinkable choice of which child to leave behind. He chose the younger one, whom he could carry more easily." The trauma of such decisions creates scars lasting far beyond the events themselves.
Documentaries abound today, speaking to these survivors' experiences and their emotional reckonings—like Amal's existential reflection on survival. "Did I deserve this chance?" she pondered, echoing sentiments of guilt intertwined with gratitude for life after such disasters.
The tsunami not only illustrated the fragility of human life but has left indelible marks on the mental health of its survivors. Many Belgian vacationers continue to grapple with post-traumatic stress, trying to stitch together their lives torn apart by the waves.
Research, media coverage, and survivor testimonials have helped fuel discussions focused on safety and preparedness for such natural disasters. Many hope these reflections on the past serve as reminders of the lives impacted and the need for communal and individual resilience.
This tragic chapter of human history has transformed how humanity responds to natural disasters. Those like Natacha Amal, Ray Coninck, and others remain living testaments of survival and loss, reminding us to cherish every moment and prepare for the unpredictability of nature.
