Survivors Remember World's Deadliest Tsunami, Which Killed Over 225,000: 'Everybody Lost Somebody' (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Nearly two decades have passed since the deadliest tsunami in history, which killed more than 225,000 people.

National Geographic is set to release a powerful four-part documentary series, calledTsunami: Race Against Time, to coincide with the 20th anniversary of theIndian Ocean tsunami. In PEOPLE’s exclusive first look at the trailer — which includes never-before-seen footage — survivors share their first-person accounts of the tragedy.

“People were on the streets,” one survivor recalls. “Suddenly I can see this really high water and I just go, ‘What is that?’ "

A resort in the Bang Tao area of Phuket, Thailand is pictured on Jan. 11, 2005.AP/Apichart Weerawong

AP/Apichart Weerawong

“I remember the feeling of the wave passing on my face, it was like immense force,” adds another, while a third remembers resurfacing after a wave and no longer being able to locate their parents.

“Everybody lost somebody,” a man says in a voiceover.

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The documentary series also “shines a light on the remarkable acts of bravery and sacrifice throughout the disaster,” including “fearless rescuers who risked their lives to save others, and survivors who faced the unimaginable,” according to a press release.

“When things are at their darkest, when somebody is in trouble, people want to help,” a person says in the trailer. “That is the wonderful power of the human spirit.”

Picture-Alliance/dpa/AP

The natural disaster devastated over a dozen countries on the Indian Ocean coast on Dec. 26, 2004.

A survivor clears a piece of debris from a destroyed building after the Tsunami devastated the area in Sri Lanka.AP//Ed Wray

AP//Ed Wray

The new documentary series will provide “a 360-degree view into the heart-stopping events of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that took over 225,000 lives” and include testimonies from “survivors, scientists, journalists and fearless rescuers who were all witnesses to the tragic event.”

Tsunami: Race Against Timepremieres Nov. 24 at 9/8c on National Geographic. All episodes will begin streaming on Disney+ and Hulu on Nov. 25.

source: people.com