12月26日，印尼蘇門答臘島附近海域發生了近40年來世界上最強烈的地震。地震及其引發的海嘯波及印尼、斯里蘭卡、泰國、印度、馬來西亞、孟加拉國、緬甸、馬爾代夫等國，目前已造成一萬兩千多人死亡。外電報道如下： An earthquake of epic power struck deep beneath the Indian Ocean on Sunday, unleashing 20-foot walls of water that came crashing down on beaches in seven Asian countries across thousands of miles, smashing seaside resorts and villages and leaving more than 11,350 dead in their wake.

The death toll along the southern coast of Asia - and as far west as Somalia, on the African coast, where nine people were reported lost - was certain to increase, as authorities sorted out a far-flung disaster caused by the 9.0-magnitude earthquake, strongest in 40 years and fourth-largest in a century.

The earthquake hit at 6:58 a.m.; the tsunami came as much as 2 1/2 hours later, without warning, on a morning of crystal blue skies. Sunbathers and snorkelers, cars and cottages, fishing boats and even a lighthouse were swept away.

Tsunami是日語單詞，表示“海嘯，由海底地震或火山噴發而造成的巨大海浪”。Tsu在日語中表示“島嶼，港口”，nami表示“海浪，浪花”。

（中國日報網站編）