'Tsunami: Race Against Time' series commemorates 20-year anniversary of Indian Ocean Tsunami

This year marks 20 years since the Indian Ocean Boxing Day tsunami - the deadliest in history. To commemorate the event, National Geographic (DStv Channel 181, Starsat 220) will premiere TSUNAMI: RACE AGAINST TIME on Thursdays at 8.30pm (CAT) from 28 November. This four-part series follows the wave coast to coast as it spreads, with unseen archive video and stories of survival and courage in the face of impossible odds, featuring scientists who raced to understand the unfolding disaster and warn the world, journalists who broke the news, and rescuers who risked everything to save others.

Told through harrowing video and gripping stories of survival and courage - some both seen and heard for the first time - the four-part series offers a comprehensive and immersive look at the destructive wave as it surged across the ocean, leaving a trail of devastation in its wake.

TSUNAMI: RACE AGAINST TIME provides a 360-degree view into the heart-stopping events of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. The powerful series, from executive producers Tanya Winston and Danny Horan of multi-award-winning Blast Films and directed by Daniel Bogado, Emmy Award-winning filmmaker of Nat Geo’s “9/11: One Day in America,” features personal accounts from survivors, scientists who raced against time to understand the catastrophic disaster and warn the world, journalists who broke the shocking news, and the fearless rescuers who risked their lives to save others.

EPISODES INCLUDE:

EPISODE 101 – “THE WAVE”

A massive earthquake in the Indian Ocean sets off a tsunami that, within minutes, arrives in the bustling city of Aceh, causing unprecedented havoc and devastation. This film follows the desperate struggle to survive of city-dwellers in Indonesia and tourists in Thailand caught in the unfolding catastrophe, as well as the scientists working against the clock to warn the world.

EPISODE 102 – “THAILAND”

After a massive earthquake triggered the deadliest tsunami in recorded history, multiple waves hit Thailand. As the beaches of popular resorts are pummeled by unstoppable torrents of water, locals and tourists work together to save lives. In the chaotic aftermath, survivors separated by the waves desperately search for their loved ones.

EPISODE 103 – “BREAKING NEWS”

The tsunami hits Sri Lanka. A 1000 miles from the earthquake’s epicenter, waves wreck a train and destroy coastal cities. Doctors fight to save every life they can. As disaster spreads across the entire Indian Ocean, journalists race to break the news to the world, and people wake up to the devastating reality that their loved ones have been swept away.

EPISODE 104 – “RESCUE”

In the aftermath of the deadliest tsunami in history, tourists become stranded on an island devastated by the force of the waves. With hundreds of casualties, survivors from around the world must work together to save lives. Against all odds, they manage to pull off some of the most miraculous rescues of the day. But as the water recedes, the true scale of the global calamity becomes clear.