Survivor recounts 2004 Thailand tsunami experience

Andrew Chaggar has shared his account of surviving the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami in Khao Lak, Thailand. At age 27, Chaggar was on a round-the-world trip with his partner, Nova, when the Indian Ocean tsunami struck on December 26, 2004.

Chaggar recalls being woken by violent shaking and a deafening roar, which he compared to an aircraft engine preparing for takeoff. The couple was staying in a bungalow approximately 30 meters from the beach. As the first waves hit, the bungalows collapsed in sequence like dominoes. Chaggar described the experience of being swept into the water as being in ‘a washing machine full of nails’ due to the violent current filled with debris such as metal, glass, and bricks.

While Chaggar survived the surge, his partner Nova was lost in the disaster. Chaggar noted that his survival was partly due to his left leg becoming pinned against a concrete pillar at a construction site, which prevented him from being carried further out to sea.