The next expedition occurred in April 2003 , when a canoe built by the Onges was gifted to the visitors . There were further expeditions ( some aerial ) in 2004 and 2005 to evaluate the effects of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami , which caused massive tectonic changes to the island : it was enlarged by a merger with nearby small islands , and the sea floor was raised by about , exposing the surrounding coral reefs to air and destroying the shallow lagoons , which were the Sentinelese 's fishing grounds . The expeditions counted a total of 32 Sentinelese scattered over three places but did not find any bodies . The Sentinelese responded to these aerial expeditions with hostile gestures , which led many to conclude that the community was mostly unaffected and had survived the calamity . Pandya argues that Sentinelese hostility is a sign of the physical as well as the cultural resilience of the community
2004 Indian Ocean tsunami
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami
Sentinelese