No.1212682
Thousands of mourners descended on beaches throughout Southeast Asia today to lay candles at memorial sites marking 20 years since the massive Indian Ocean Boxing Day tsunami, one of modern history's worst natural disasters.
A powerful 9.1-magnitude earthquake off the coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra on December 26 2004 triggered a tsunami
that killed about 230,000 people across a dozen countries, reaching as far as East Africa.
Some 1.7 million people were displaced, mostly in the
four worst-affected countries: Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand.
More than 170,000 people died in Indonesia alone.
At one particularly large site in Thailand's southern fishing town of Ban Nam Khem, a
large illuminated sign read '20 Tsunami' was surrounded by flickering
flames after huge numbers of people flocked to pay homage and
remember the dead.
Attendees were seen kneeling and lying in the sand at the foot of the monument, several of them crying, as they
left their candles and remembered their friends, family
members and loved ones who perished in the disaster during the dusk commemoration.
The images emerged hours after huge crowds gathered
in prayer as they visited mass grave sites in Indonesia's Aceh province - one of the
areas worst hit by the earthquake and tsunami.
Many openly wept at the mass grave in Ulee Lheue village, where more than 14,000 unidentified and unclaimed tsunami victims
are buried. It is one of several mass graves
in the provincial capital Banda Aceh.
A person lights a candle during a vigil to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the 2004
tsunami at Tsunami Memorial Park in Ban Nam Khem, Phang Nga province,
southern Thailand, 26 December 2024
Relatives and friends of tsunami victims attend a candlelight vigil to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the 2004 tsunami
at Tsunami Memorial Park in Ban Nam Khem, Phang Nga province, southern Thailand
Even though 20 years have passed, the grief remains and survivors still
remember their loved ones, lost to the giant waves that flattened buildings in most of the coastal areas of Aceh - all the way
to the city of Banda Aceh.
People recounted harrowing tales of horror and miraculous survival as giant waves swept
in without warning, carrying debris including cars and destroying buildings in their wake.
'I thought it was doomsday,' said Hasnawati, a 54-year-old teacher who goes by one name, at an Indonesian mosque that was damaged by the tsunami.
'On a Sunday morning, where our family were all laughing together, suddenly a disaster struck
and everything was gone. I can't describe it with words,' she told
AFP.
At Aceh's Siron mass grave, where around 46,000
people were buried, emotional relatives
recited Islamic prayers in the shade of trees that have since grown there.
Khyanisa, a 59-year-old Indonesian housewife, lost
her mother and daughter, searching in vain for
them in the hope they were still alive.
'I kept chanting God's name. I looked for them everywhere,
' she said.
'There was a moment where I realised they were gone.
I felt my chest was in pain. I screamed.'
The victims included many foreign tourists celebrating
Christmas on the region's sun-kissed beaches, bringing the
tragedy into homes around the globe.
The seabed being ripped open pushed waves at double the speed of a bullet
train, crossing the Indian Ocean within hours.
Family members of a 2004 tsunami victim comfort each other during a religious memorial service to commemorate the
20th anniversary of the 2004 tsunami at Tsunami Memorial Park in Ban Nam Khem, Phang Nga
province, southern Thailand
Family members of the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, offer prayers at a memorial monument on the 20th anniversary of the disaster,
in Peraliya on December 26, 2024
A Thai villager is assisted to lay a flower for
his father who was killed in the 2004 tsunami, on a memorial wall during a religious memorial service to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the 2004 tsunami
at Tsunami Memorial Park in Ban Nam Khem, Phang Nga province, southern Thailand
Family members of a 2004 tsunami victim weep during a religious memorial service
Karin Svard, a policewoman from Sweden, can be seen running into the sea after her
husband, three sons and brother
A photograph of the Boxing Day tsunami crashing through Ao Nang, Krabi Province,
Thailand
An aerial view of the city of Banda Aceh, damaged by the quake-triggered tsunami, on the Indonesian island of
Sumatra
The wreckage of an excavator amid debris in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, on January 10 2005
The epicentre of the earthquake that triggered the tsunami was just 100 miles off the coast of Indonesia.
The massive Indian Plate slid around 50ft under the Burma
Plate just before 8am local time on December 26, 2004.
In two phases, with just 100 seconds between them, the rupture travelled across
the Earth at a speed of 6,260mph, starting off the coast of Indonesia,
and travelling up the fault line between the two
plates towards the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
The quake, with an estimated magnitude of 9.25, making it the
third most powerful earthquake ever recorded, displaced more than seven cubic miles of water in a matter
of minutes, triggering the tsunami.
Read More
The day the earth shook: Twenty years on, the videos and images that encapsulate the ferocity
and terror of the Boxing Day tsunami
Violent, deadly waves nearly 100ft high radiated outward from the epicentre. At its fastest, in the deep waters of the Indian Ocean, it travelled up to
620mph.
As the waves reached the shores of more than a dozen countries across two continents,
the shallow coastal waters slowed the waves down massively,
but in doing so formed destructive waves.
By one estimate, these waves carried twice as much energy than all of the explosives used during WWII, including the two atomic bombs.
Indonesian locals at the time looked on in horror as the 'black
giant' crashed through Banda Aceh.
Also hit were Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, Somalia, Myanmar, the
Maldives, Malaysia, Tanzania, the Seychelles, Bangladesh,
South Africa, Yemen, Kenya and Madagascar.
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A Sri Lankan tsunami survivor weeps near a mass grave during the 20th anniversary commemoration of 2004 tsunami victims in the Peraliya suburb of
Galle, Sri Lanka
Acehnese people attend a ceremony commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Indian Ocean Tsunami at the Baiturrahman Mosque, an Aceh landmark that survived from the
tsunami, in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, 26 December 2024
Tidal waves of the Boxing Day Tsunami wash through houses at Maddampegama,
about 38 miles south of Colombo, Sri Lanka
More than 35,000 people were killed by the tsunami in Sri Lanka alone
Acehnese residents seen wading through flooded street to
higher ground a moment after the tsunami strike in the provincial capital of Banda Aceh,
Indonesia
This photo taken on December 26 2004 shows people fleeing as a tsunami comes crashing ashore at Koh
Raya, Thailand
Satellite imagery shows the devastation wrought on Sri
Lanka by the Boxing Day tsunami
The infrastructure in Aceh has been rebuilt and is now more resilient
than it was before the tsunami struck.
Early warning systems have been installed in coastal areas
to alert residents of potential tsunamis, providing crucial time
to seek safety.
The rebuilding efforts were made possible by the support of international donors and organisations, who contributed significant funds to help the region recover.
Schools, hospitals, and essential infrastructure that were destroyed
by the disaster have been reconstructed with enhanced strength and durability, ensuring better preparedness for
future challenges.
The tsunami also claimed the lives of over 8,000 people in Thailand, including many who remain missing, leaving a deep scar on the nation's history.
Nearly 400 bodies remain unidentified and unclaimed.
US Navy Seahawk helicopter crew from carrier USS Abraham Lincoln observe the
devastation caused by the Indian Ocean tsunami on January 8, 2005, Aceh, Indonesia
Tsunami survivors rummage through the debris at the commercial area
of Banda Aceh, the capital of Aceh province in northwest Indonesia in this December 31, 2004 photo
Displaced Indonesians fight for relief food brought in by a US military
helicopter at a UN refugee camp south of Panga in Aceh province, on Sumatra Island on Thursday Jan. 20, 2005
This picture of an Indian woman mourning the death of a relative
who was killed in the Boxing Day tsunami won the premier award in the
World Press Photo competition that same year
Siwat Rawangkun, an official in Phang Nga, this morning chaired religious
ceremonies for Buddhists, Christians, and Muslims before placing flowers at the Ban Nam Khem Tsunami Memorial Park.
Many locals and foreign tourists also brought offerings and flowers to
mourn their loved ones.
Wanwisa Nonthong, a 37-year-old resident, said that she still could not forget the incident as she lost three
family members in the tragedy and continues to mourn for them.
In Phuket, Patong mayor Chalermsak Maneesri chaired the ceremony at Patong Beach, joined by government officials and
locals.
Thai and foreign participants placed flowers on a table to mourn the victims of the incident.
Chalermsak said that the event was not only a tribute to those lost but also
aimed to raise awareness among locals.
He also emphasised the importance of cooperation between the public, private, and community
sectors in preparing for emergencies and boosting tourists'
confidence.
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