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Seychelles affected, some eyewitness accounts from around the Indian Ocean region:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/talking_point/4126255.stm

Your experiences of Asian disaster
Wreckage in Colombo

This is the second page of your comments on earthquakes and huge waves that have devastated large parts of South and South East Asia.

The following is a selection of the reports we received:

I have been surprised to see that most media has been reporting that the damage has been confined to the immediate South East Asian and Sub-continental coastline when in fact we here in Seychelles (some +2000kms South) have been hit by a barrage of tidal fluctuations which have decimated most of our coastline. Our capital has been flooded. Major Roads washed away and in all likelihood lives lost. More will become apparent as events unfold. From what i understand similar effects have been reported as far south as Mauritius and Reunion.
Nelson Vidot, Mahe, Seychelles

Local TV channels in Chennai report more than 3000 dead in Tamil Nadu alone. My question: The MET dept warns of after shocks in the evening can the after shocks be of higher intensity than the parent one (8.9)?
M.Vedaprakash, Chennai,India

We are on a drill ship about 100miles off the coast of India, near Kakinada. We are in 3,000ft water depth, but even so experienced a large swell of around 2metres pass through about 1030hrs local time. We are also experiencing swells from the after shocks - our supply base, in Kakinada, has been clobbered, luckily with no casualties and the port area has been evacuated.
Bob Forrest, Discoverer Seven Seas, Bay of Bengal

Many tidal waves have reached Reunion Island where many fishing boats have sunk in the coastal harbours. Nobody died. More tidal waves are expected in the evening. The authorities have prohibited the access to the harbours and to the beaches.
Swami Advayananda, Le Port, Reunion Island

Since tsunami is virtually unknown in India, many lives could have been saved if known. Curious onlookers who rushed to the marina beach to see what was happening were sucked in by the tidal waves. My heart goes to all the people who lost their lives in this calamity.
Shanthi Subba Rao, Chennai, India

My mother left her brother's resort "Khao lak Paradise Resort" in Phang-nga, Thailand just 30 minutes before the wave struck. Now everything is gone, the tourists and bungalows have been swept away. She has told me that one staff member who was there survived...he said the water started to recede and that everyone went down to the beach to look, it was like that for about 10 minutes and then there was a roar. I'm so glad my Mum is OK, my uncle who owns the resort and lives close by also left with his children before the wave hit...but some of our family friends are missing.
Sunsanee, Melbourne, Australia

My family and I are residents of a seaside village called Muttukadu, about 30 kms. south of the Marina Beach at Madras, India. This morning just before the Tsunami struck (most unexpectedly since the sky was blue, calm waters, no clouds, no tell tales signs of disaster in the pipe line) we were at home which is about 100 meters inland; sitting around after breakfast enjoying a beautiful day. Suddenly at about 9:05 am we heard a sound that resembled a tipper lorry unloading rocks. The wave that came in was not very tall - maybe about 1 or 1.5 meters high but was a mass of water that was scary.

Water rose to about 2 or 3 feet on our land and we managed to save one girl who was trapped in side a hut. After 3 hours of help and rescue when we realized that the waves were coming in a cyclic pattern, we packed into our cars and are now inland in the city. I am told that several children are still missing and that the police have cordoned off the East Coast Road. One shudders to think what the magnitude of the tragedy would had it been night and the villagers were sleeping.
Navaz Currimbhoy, India - Madras

Trying to phone into Sri Lanka and all calls are just not going through from the UK. Phone lines are down and mobile networks are just not working! Txt messages are getting through. That's the only communication I have with my family on holiday over there.
S. Perera, London, UK

My wife and I were staying on the 13th floor of a Penang Hotel when we were woken up at 9am by our shaking bed. When we got out of bed we realised then that the floor was moving. We evacuated the building by the fire escape which was also shaking. At this point, I didn't think we would get out the building alive.

Later in the day, I went to the west coast of Penang Island, where we met locals in the fishing villages which were affected. A number of people were missing from these villages. A policeman we met said over 100 people had died in Penang alone as a result of the tsunami.
David Buffin (from London), Penang, Malaysia

My 3 dogs acted strangely shortly before 9 am local time - trying to lure me out of our house... when I followed them, I saw the pool making waves and overflowing. I didn't feel any movements. But the animals obviously did. Until reading first news, my family thought I'm gone bonkers for telling "my morning story".
Madelaine Jantos, Kuala Lumpur, Malausia

We are from Chile, and used to earthquakes, so we prefer to live close to the ground. But in Bangkok, without that threat, we are in a 32nd floor in Sukhumvit. This morning, however, we were shook for about 5 minutes as the building swayed from the initial long shock. We know quakes, yet this one really scared us regardless of our previous experience. Was fearsome and we felt helpless at that height.
Diego Velasco, Bangkok

Only yesterday afternoon(the 25th), my friend and I were sitting in the same Marina beach, watching local people enjoy a golden evening and today all those footprints have been washed away...and more.
Arun Rabindar, Chennai, TN, India

Not much mention has been made of Penang which is an island so close to Medan / Aceh. Our 2nd floor apartment here shook, Christmas tree decorations were vibrating, windows rattling and computer screen moved across the desk. We've heard that the main tourist area - Batu Ferringhi and Tanjung Bunga have been affected; sirens have been blaring out all day.
Anne, Penang, Malaysia

Those who own large vessels have been urged to travel to populated islands and fishing areas to help rescue people
Haifa, Villingilli, Maldives
The death toll is likely to rise. Dhaalu Atoll is very badly hit. Most tourist resorts are being evacuated to the airport island and some tourists taking refuge in schools on Male' island. Those who own large vessels have been urged to travel to populated islands and fishing areas to help rescue people. The only radio station is just broadcasting prayers and no news. Panic in some of the islands due to lack of news from elsewhere in the country.
Haifa, Villingilli, Maldives

I just return from the beach area and as I write this the whole of the city is still to get over the nightmare with masses of bodies along the Govt hospitals, truly mind boggling experience and the state authorities are groping in the dark over the relief measures given to battered families alongside the coastline. The City itself would have more than a 500 people dead.
R.N. Srinivasan, Chennai, India

There were 60 people stranded at Emeral cave in Trang Province, Thailand. The big wave struck the western coast Trang province shoreline around 11 o'clock. The rescue could not come out for rescue till 2 o'clock in the afternoon because of the high wave. By 2:00 p.m. Thai rescue officers arrived at the cave. Two people were found dead. The rest of the people were rescued to safety. No one was found floating in the sea.
Sutatip Emery, Bangkok Thailand

I was in the island of Vypeen near Kochi in the morning when at around 11 am huge waves maybe up to 8 feet struck the coastal line. Panic was widespread. Boats were found floating. In the evening news I was very much frightened to hear that 80 people have been killed in Quilon district & nearly 43 in Alleppey district. I still cannot believe that such a thing ever happened to me. It is indeed terrible
Krishnakumar, Kochi, Kerala, India

At 12.30 gmt, there were 6-7 metres high waves appeared near Cuddalore, 200 kms to the South of Madras. Nagapattinam and Cuddalore are badly affected in Tamilnadu. In Cuddalore 300+ and Nagapattinam 2350+ people died.
Vijayanand, Kumbakonam (Tamilnadu, India)

As an Australian medic I, along with two other medical students who witnessed the tsunami were taken to the Ko Lanta hospital where we have worked since midday. I was involved in 2 unsuccessful resuscitations of drowning victims, and treated over sixty foreign holidaymakers with injuries, mainly multiple fractures, some severe such as skull factures and suspected spinal fractures.

There have been 3 confirmed dead on Ko Lanta with a number of missing local children. One family from Sweden with 10 children were swept from their longboat and sustained multiple abrasions and fractures but survived. We have evacuated 25 patents by military helicopter to the mainland. People are awaiting another wave and most are camping out on hilltops, not that any accommodation at beach level remains.
Benjamin Gilmour, Thailand

Our daughter/partner was due to be married on the beach in Trincomalee on east coast of Sri Lanka tomorrow. They contacted us by mobile text. Thank god they are OK. They only have us for news updates. They have been moved to another hotel to wait further instructions-they have food & water.
Rob Green, Newbury, England

My family and I are staying on the east side Phuket, Cape Panwa, and we experienced the earthquake. We were supposed to go on a boat ride with some friends we met out here, they are now in hospital with broken bones cuts and bruises, and we were fortunate enough not to have joined them. We experienced a flood on the beach this morning and strange sea tides all day, I have never seen the sea move so much in one day. Unfortunately another English couple on a boat ride today brought a woman back on land in shock after taking pictures of her husband snorkelling, then after the wave hit he was no-where to be seen.....
Alice, Essex

I was woken up by the shaking of my bed. Then at around 8.30 am I heard the water had inundated into the coast. I went to the beach to see it for myself and found signs of water coming into the road a few hundred metres from the shore. Then some 20 minutes later the sea became rough again and water started coming in. It went back again. There was a dent formed in the coastline from where I was and water was gushing through it. I didn't realise the severity of the calamity until I learnt the magnitude of life loss.
Joseph Edward, Chennai, India

We sailed from the island of Ko Phi Phi in Thailand at 9 this morning, an hour into the journey, the boat was detoured and we spent some time on another island in between Phuket and Krabi. It appears we were sheltered from the full force of the tsunami by Phuket. I would like to thank the Thai captain of the boat for his decisive action. He may well have saved many more lives.
Nick and Clare Ashton, Ise, Japan

Some older buildings here have developed cracks in the aftermath of tremors forcing residents to pour out onto the streets
Manoj Gurnani, Chennai
Nobody has yet spoken of structural damages suffered by inland buildings in Chennai, some older buildings here have actually developed cracks in the aftermath of tremors early morning 6.30 forcing residents to pour out onto the streets.
Manoj Gurnani, Chennai

I am a cabin crew with Qatar Airways. My friend and colleague just flew to Bangkok. I hope he's ok. My condolences to all those who lost loved ones in this disaster and loads of hope to those whose status is unknown.
Ashish Sheth, Doha, Qatar

At least 2000 bodies have been found so far. At Velankanni alone more than 1000 bodies of people who were at Mass have been found...It is much bigger than originally thought to be.
Ravisankar, Chennai

What about ships? Those are very busy shipping lanes around there. In addition to fisher people is there any word on the fate of oil tankers, container ships etc in the area?
Tyler, Japan

We, in Bangladesh, have been comparatively lucky. But I've heard from relatives in Chittagong - their house is quite destroyed and the area is flooded. They say water from the ponds 'flew' out... and more damage was done by that, than by the earth 'quaking'. A friend from Dhaka says his parents were frightened by the ground shaking during their morning walk. We're all worried - what if there's another earthquake?
Nabila Idris, Dhaka, Bangladesh

I felt the earthquake this morning and thought it was someone shaking my bed. Thinking nothing of it I went to the harbour at 10am to catch the ferry from Phuket to Koh Phi Phi, as we we're about to leave a huge wave came heading for us, the boat was evacuated and luckily all the people on the ferry were driven to higher ground. Later i came back to look for my left luggage and 100's of boats have been washed up the river and smashed into each other and the shore. Devastated Thai people are upset because their livelihood has been ruined.
Robin Woodhouse, Phuket, Thailand

I have seen in Thiruvottiyur Beach sea come out and many boats sink inside but there is no rescue for the fishermen. Many of them were inside the boat but they couldn't get out, only one helicopter has gone to rescue and only to Marina Beach not to Thiruvottiyur Beach.
Vijay, Chennai, India

Sri Lanka is under a pall of mourning. Casualty figures compiled on the basis of information given by callers from affected areas to radio stations in Colombo, indicate that well over a thousand lives have been lost in the North and East alone and that bodies continue to be brought in. Entire villages and parts of coastal towns appear to have been razed to the ground. Reports indicate continuing tidal turbulence. Witnesses describe the tide within the Trincomalee harbour going out several times leaving the seabed exposed.

Even the main commercial city of Colombo has been affected with the sea coming in at Mattakuliya forcing residents to abandon their homes and seek shelter on high ground. Sea water has come in along the Wellawatta and Dehiwala canals forcing residents to leave their homes. There is widespread fear of more tidal waves and people are being advised not to return to the affected areas for at least a few days.
Nirmalan Dhas, Colombo. Sri Lanka

Bodies were lined up along the road running along the beach in Batu Ferringhi, Penang, Malaysia
Robert Juhl, Batu Ferringhi, Malaysia
Bodies were lined up along the road running along the beach in Batu Ferringhi, Penang, Malaysia. The sirens of emergency vehicles have been wailing all afternoon. Many local people were probably enjoying a Sunday at the beach when the waves hit.
Robert Juhl, Batu Ferringhi, Malaysia

One slum village (Vettuvangany few km from Adyar) was completely swamped by big tide which moved more than 100meters from the usual sea shore. Many people were crying at this village. We saw many casualties including Doctors who were on a different medical camp.
Saravanakumar, Chennai, India

Why was there no warning of such massive disaster?
Abdul, Dubai, UAE

After returning to my room on the 46 floor at the Banyan Tree Bangkok I sat down to watch some TV then the room started shaking. It shook for a while. I thought the wind had picked up and the building was swaying with it because it went on for some time. Looking out the window I could see people running from the hotel. I ran out to the hallway and to the elevator. Several of us got on and it shook and scraped the rails all the way down. We didn't think we were going to make out.
Cooper Caywood, Bangkok, Thailand

Today I happened to have a look at the Marina Beach which is the only promenade of Chennai. Water has entered the roads well inside and the sight of beach sands disappeared. Police cordoned off those areas. Also the area where I live T Nagar and West Mambalam we felt the tremor like somebody was trying to rock us hard and wake up in the morning. This is the first time that such a thing has happened in Chennai. All roads from the city to the Marina beach has been blocked
Anantha Krishnan, Chennai-TamilNadu-Indu

My girlfriend and her sister arrived in Sri Lanka on Christmas day and are staying in the south western coastal resort of Bentota, Sri Lanka. We've been trying the UK government helpline since 8.30am but are yet to get through. Any news of the region would be greatly appreciated.
Dr Chris Jones, Cardiff, South Wales

The situation in Male' is now improving. There haven't been any more floods since this morning. Parts of the sea wall around Male' island has collapsed and more waves could prove to be quite disastrous. Still several divers in resort islands and fishermen and sailors out at sea have not been accounted for. Communication to islands outside Male' Atoll is down. The fate of people in more remote islands is still unknown. The airport has been closed and the whole country is stranded.
Ali Adam, South Male' Atoll, Maldives