The Sumatra tsunami
In terms of the number of fatalities, the Sumatra tsunami on 26 December 2004 was the largest in documented history. In May 2005, the United Nations estimated the number of dead to be at least 210,000. Overall property damage came to about US$ 10bn.
As for the insured losses, involving not only property lines but also insurances of the person (life, personal accident, health, and travel insurance), there were still no reliable figures available at the time of writing. But they are not likely to be over US$ 1bn.
On 28 March 2005, the earth trembled again in the Indian Ocean. The rupture plane was further south than in December 2004. The tsunami was much smaller and only had a local impact on the coast of Sumatra. In view of the continuing earthquakes, it must be assumed that there is an elevated probability of a much bigger quake occurring off the coast of Sumatra in the coming years. In the most extreme case, it could trigger a tsunami similar in dimension to the one at the end of 2004.