The Asian Tsunami 2004 was one of the most widely covered natural disasters -- and with good reason.

The earthquake-triggered tsunami that hit many parts of South and Southeast Asia on December 26 left a horrendous trail of destruction. With over 250,000 dead or missing, several million displaced and widespread property damage, the event earned its dubious place among the top ten disasters of all time.

It has also been described as the first truly globalised disaster of our time. The killer waves directly impacted more than a dozen countries on two continents -- including some in eastern Africa. But it affected not only residents in these countries, but also nationals from other parts of the world who had flocked to key coastal tourist resorts, especially in countries like Thailand and Sri Lanka.

Thus, the tremors from the bottom of the Indian Ocean reverberated not only across the two continents on its rim, but also much farther away. It became a shared tragedy for the whole of humanity.

In this section, we take a brief look at the media’s coverage of the disaster and its aftermath.