The view from a helicopter from the American aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln flying down the west coast of Aceh towards the stricken town of Panga. The entire coast is devastated following the tsunami which struck South Asia on 26/12/2004. An underwater earthquake measuring 9 on the Richter scale triggered a series of tidal waves which caused devastation when they struck dry land. 12 countries were affected by the tsunami, with a combined death toll of over 150,000. Aceh, the closest landfall to the epicentre of the quake, suffered the greatest loss of life.
