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Giant tidal waves which swept through the Indian Ocean region were triggered off by a massive earthquake measuring 9 on the Richter Scale, that struck off the coast of Sumatra in Indonesia on Sunday 26 December (morning). The tidal waves which hit Seychelles measured up to 4 metres high and had left a trail of infrastructural devastation on coastline areas, mainly in the West and South of Mahe, as well as in several areas on Praslin and La Digue.

The waves caused floodings in Victoria, halting activities on both the commercial and fishing ports, and in houses at Roche Caiman, Anse Royale, Baie Lazare, Takamaka, Anse Boileau, Anse a la Mouche, Grand Anse and Port Glaud on Mahe , destroying bridges in its path and sinking boats on the coasts and those tied to the jetties at Marine Charter and Seychelles Fishing Authority. Flooding was also reported at Seychelles Nation’s office which is located along this area on Long Pier road and as a result, the office had to be evacuated on Sunday afternoon, preventing the publication of Monday’s newspaper.   Seychelles Nation building has also suffered certain structural damages.

As a security measure, electricity supplies were shut down affecting several areas on Mahe.

Most of the damages on La Digue, apparently one of the first islands to be hit by the waves, were felt at the jetty were boats were smashed and sunk whereas on Praslin, Baie St Anne is said to be the most affected.

In the wake of the disaster, Sunday, President Michel convened an urgent meeting with Cabinet ministers and key members of the National Disaster Committee at State House, to take stock of the situation, assess the damages done and work on a restoration plan. An exercise, he said, would also be carried out to evaluate the country’s level of preparedness and response to cope with similar eventualities in the future.

President Michel said the impact of the calamity could have been worse had members of the National Disaster Committee not immediately apprised the situation and set up a base at the Police Command Centre in Victoria to monitor what was happening and with the excellent cooperation of the Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation radio sent out alerts to warn members of the public.

President Michel said as a result, though there had been material damages to properties, the country was spared major casualties. 

The government he said would be setting up a fund to assist those affected, a measure President Michel said would have an impact on the Budget allocated for next year. He said he hopes to get the support of all Seychellois as people’s lives come first.

The next step he said is to start work as soon as possible to repair damages and bring lives back to normal.

Members of the Disaster Committee with their respective ministries, have until noon Tuesday December 27 to assess the costs of damages and submit their reports to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

We publish some photos of damages caused by tidal waves.