Japanese tourists arriving home from Thailand described the terror they experienced on beaches and hotels on the resort island of Phuket, which was struck Sunday by tsunamis triggered by the world's strongest earthquake in 40 years.
The temblor, which hit just north of the Indonesian island of Sumatra, triggered tidal waves that reportedly claimed more than 20,000 lives across South and Southeast Asia. The waves caused fatalities as far away as India and Sri Lanka, and even Africa.
A woman in her 40s, who arrived Monday at Narita airport, said she was on a Phuket beach when a tsunami hit.