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Image showing the Indian Ocean tsunami on Sri Lanka’s coast as the waves are receding.
Photo: Courtesy of DigitalGlobe

Most tsunami satellite images showed the aftermath of the disaster. But in this image, DigitalGlobe shot Sri Lanka’s coast just as the waves were hitting it. The swirling of the ocean is clearly visible.
Photo: Courtesy of DigitalGlobe

Nagappattinam, India
Post-tsunami
Lat: 10.7906° N Lon: 79.8428° E
This one-meter resolution image was taken by Space Imaging’s IKONOS satellite on Dec. 29, 2004 — just three days after the devastating tsunami hit. The image shows destruction and damage along the coastline of this port city of Nagappattinam, India, located 260 km (162 mi) south of Chennai. Small homes along the shoreline have been destroyed, boats and small ships have been washed ashore, a seawall has been breached and plumes of grey smoke rise into the sky from fires.
Credit “Space Imaging”