Indian Ocean tsunami memorials mark 20th anniversary of one of history's deadliest natural disasters

People gathered in prayer and visited mass graves in Indonesia's Aceh province on Thursday to mark 20 years of the mass Tsunami in the Indian Ocean hit the region as a result of one of the worst natural disasters in modern history.

Many wept as they laid flowers at a mass grave in the village of Uli Leue, where more than 14,000 unidentified tsunami victims are buried. It is one of several mass burials in Banda Aceh, the capital of Indonesia's northernmost province, which was one of the areas hardest hit by the 9.1-magnitude earthquake and the massive tsunami it caused.

“We miss them and still don't know where they are. All we know is that every year we visit the mass grave in Uli Lue and Siron,” said Muhammad Amiruddin, who lost two of his children 20 years ago and their bodies were never found.

“This life is only temporary, so we do our best to be useful to others,” Amiruddin said while visiting the grave with his wife.

Another man, 52-year-old Nurhalis, told Reuters that his wife, children, parents and relatives were swept away by the tsunami.

“Despite the fact that time has passed, that same feeling haunts us to this day, especially those of us who lost our family at that time,” he said.

A powerful earthquake off the coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra on December 26, 2004. caused a tsunami that killed about 230,000 people in a dozen countries, reaching East Africa. Waves up to 100 feet high swept away almost everything—and everyone—in their path.

There were about 1.7 million people movedmainly in the four most affected countries: Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand.

More than 170,000 people died in Indonesia alone.

Even though 20 years have passed, survivors in Indonesia are still grieving for the loved ones they lost in the giant wave that flattened buildings as far as the provincial capital of Banda Aceh.

Hundreds of people gathered for prayers at Baiturrahman Mosque in downtown Banda Aceh. Sirens sounded throughout the city for three minutes to mark the time of the earthquake.

Indonesia, which is located along the fault lines that make up p Pacific “Ring of Fire”, particularly vulnerable to earthquakes and tsunamis. It suffered another disaster in 2018 when huge waves were caused by an earthquake in Sulawesi, killing thousands.

In the years since 2004, the infrastructure in Aceh has been rebuilt and is now more resilient than before the tsunami. Early warning systems were installed in coastal areas to warn residents of impending tsunamis, providing crucial time to seek safety.

Recovery efforts have been made possible by the support of international donors and organizations that have contributed significant funds to aid the region. Schools, hospitals and essential infrastructure destroyed by the elements were rebuilt.

In Thailand, people gathered for a memorial ceremony in Ban Nam Khem, a small fishing village in Phang Nga province that bore the brunt of the country's devastating wave.

The tsunami killed more than 8,000 people in Thailand, including many missing, leaving a deep mark on the country's history. Almost 400 bodies remain unclaimed.

Mourners shed tears and consoled each other, laying flowers at the memorial to the tsunami victims in the village. About 300 people joined the modest ceremony with Muslim, Christian and Buddhist prayers.

Urai Sirisuk said she avoids Seaside Memorial Park the rest of the year because the loss of her 4-year-old daughter still cuts deep every time she's reminded of it.

“I have a feeling that the sea has taken my child away. I am very angry about this. I can't even put my foot in the water,” she said.

But she said: “I can still hear her voice in my ears calling me. I can't leave her. That's why I have to be here, for the sake of my child.”

In India, hundreds of people gathered at Marina Beach in the southern city of Chennai in the state of Tamil Nadu. They poured milk into the sea to propitiate the gods and offered flowers and prayed for the dead as drums beat in the background.

According to official data, 10,749 people have died in India, including almost 7,000 people in Tamil Nadu alone.

“It's been 20 years since the tsunami,” said Sadayamal, 69, who uses one name. “We are here to pay our respects to the people who died.”

In Sri Lanka, survivors and relatives of tsunami victims gathered in the coastal village of Peralia and laid flowers at a memorial commemorating the nearly 2,000 passengers who died when their train, the Queen of the Sea, was hit by the waves. It is believed that only a few dozen people survived.

Anura Ranjith joined mourners to pay their respects to his younger sister Anula Ranjani and her 9-year-old daughter, who were passengers on the train. Ranjit never heard from them again after that day.

“I've been looking everywhere for years, but still no information about them. Their loss is a great sadness and pain for me. I'm still grieving,” he said.

In total, more than 35 thousand people died from the tsunami in Sri Lanka. People across the country observed a two-minute silence on Thursday in memory of the fallen.

At that time, there were practically no warnings, but after the disaster of 2004, a tsunami warning system was put in place to help protect the region. A network of underwater earthquake-detecting seismometers, along with tidal instruments and ocean buoys, can pick up early signals of tremors that generate tsunamis, and improved communications networks help relay those warnings to officials around the world.