‘We were fighting for our lives… it was like being in a washing machine’: Survivors recall 2004 tsunami ahead of anniversary

Louis Mullan and Paul Murray were caught up in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami

When the tsunami hits, Louis Mullan (pictured here during an interview) and brother Theo Mullan are on holiday with their parents in Khao Lak, Thailand (National Geographic/Charlie Laing/Alec Davy/PA)

Survivors of the 2004 Stephen’s Day Indian Ocean tsunami described how they were “fighting for our lives” on the day, ahead of the release of a new documentary marking the 20th anniversary of the disaster.

A major earthquake with a magnitude of 9.2 – 9.3 struck off the coast of Indonesia on December 26 2004, prompting a massive tsunami with waves up to 30 metres.