Boxing Day Tsunami - 20 years on

On Sunday 26 December 2004, an earthquake struck off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia.

The tsunami that followed would be the deadliest recorded in history and took more than 228,000 lives within a matter of hours.

Following on from the disaster, UK police forces sent more than 700 officers and staff overseas to aid in the response – in February 2005, we sent 15 officers to help. During their time in Thailand, UK police helped to identify more than 3,000 victims, helped with body recovery, repatriation of victims, and investigations into victims' last-known movements.

We sat down with T/Detective Chief Inspector Steven Thomas, the last serving Gwent officer who was part of the police response, to talk about the disaster 20 years on.

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Ddydd Sul 26 Rhagfyr 2004, cafodd yr arfordir oddi ar Sumatra, Indonesia, ei daro gan ddaeargryn.

Y tswnami a ddilynodd y daeargryn oedd yr un mwyaf marwol i’w gofnodi erioed a bu farw dros 228,000 o bobl o fewn oriau.

Ar ôl y trychineb, anfonodd heddluoedd y Deyrnas Unedig fwy na 700 o swyddogion a staff i gynorthwyo'r ymateb i’r digwyddiad. Ym mis Chwefror 2005, gwnaethom anfon 15 o swyddogion i helpu. Yn ystod eu hamser yng Ngwlad Thai, helpodd heddlu’r Deyrnas Unedig dros 3,000 o ddioddefwyr, gwnaethant roi cymorth i adfer cyrff, dychwelyd dioddefwyr i’w mamwlad, ac ymchwilio i symudiadau olaf y dioddefwyr.

Gwnaethom sgwrsio gyda Ditectif Brif Arolygydd Dros Dro Steven Thomas, y swyddog olaf sy’n gwasanaethu yng Ngwent a oedd yn rhan o ymateb yr heddlu, am y trychineb 20 mlynedd yn ddiweddarach.