Countries farther from the earthquake’s epicenter had some time to warn residents. But it appears the government of Thailand realized the dangers but decided not to issue a warning out of fear that it could end up hurting the country’s tourism industry if no tsunami materialized.

An official in the country’s meteorology department told the Guardian of London, “A proper warning was not given. If we had given the warning and then it hadn’t happened, then it would have been the death of tourism in those areas.” In the end at least 1,700 people died in Thailand including hundreds of tourists.