Trimodal death and the injuries of survivors in Krabi Province, Thailand, post-tsunami

26 December 2004 is a date that changed the lives of incalculable numbers of persons the world over as a result of the Asian tsunami. Krabi Province was one of the more severely affected areas of Thailand, with many of the dead and injured being non-Thai, persons who were holidaying during the peak tourist season. Some injury types were comparatively underrepresented, such as head, thoracic and abdominal trauma. Does the classic trimodal distribution of death following injury help explain the types of injuries seen in the survivors of the disaster? Data are incomplete at this point in time, but with time it may be found that the trimodal model displays the pattern of death in mass casualty disaster situations. This may aid in the development of specific strategies to deal with similar events in the future.