<Tr> <Th> Tsunami </Th> <Td> 15 to 30 metres (50 to 100 ft) with maximum runup of 51 m (167.3 ft) at Lhoknga . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Casualties </Th> <Td> 227,898 dead and missing </Td> </Tr> <P> The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake occurred at 00: 58: 53 UTC on 26 December with the epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia . The shock had a moment magnitude of 9.1--9.3 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). The undersea megathrust earthquake was caused when the Indian Plate was subducted by the Burma Plate and triggered a series of devastating tsunamis along the coasts of most landmasses bordering the Indian Ocean, killing an estimated 227,898 people in 14 countries, and inundating coastal communities with waves up to 30 metres (100 ft) high . It was one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history, the deadliest of the 21st century so far . Indonesia was the hardest - hit country, followed by Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand . </P> <P> It is the third - largest earthquake ever recorded on a seismograph and had the longest duration of faulting ever observed, between 8.3 and 10 minutes . It caused the entire planet to vibrate as much as 1 centimetre (0.4 inches) and triggered other earthquakes as far away as Alaska . Its epicentre was between Simeulue and mainland Sumatra . The plight of the affected people and countries prompted a worldwide humanitarian response . In all, the worldwide community donated more than US $14 billion (2004) in humanitarian aid . The event is known by the scientific community as the Sumatra--Andaman earthquake . </P>

Where was the epicenter of the earthquake that caused the 2004 tsunami