Good Lord...
In Sri Lanka, which suffered the biggest loss of life in the tsunami, crowds had come to the beaches to watch the sea after word spread that it was producing larger-than-normal waves.
Thousands of children joined their elders to see the spectacle. The waves brought in fish. The old and the young collected them. Many waited for more fun.
Then the 15 feet-to-20 feet tidal waves hit the tropical island of 19 million people.
''They got caught and could not run to safety. This is the reason why we have so many child victims,'' said Rienzie Perera, a police spokesman who said reports from affected police stations indicated children made up about half the victims in Sri Lanka.