People began gathering for prayers on Thursday, visiting mass graves in Indonesia's Aceh province to mark the 20th anniversary of the deadly Indian Ocean tsunami, one of the worst natural disasters in modern history.
Many people wept openly at the mass grave in the village of Ulee Lheue, where more than 14,000 unidentified and unclaimed tsunami victims were buried. It is one of several mass graves in Banda Aceh, the capital of Indonesia's northernmost province. It was one of the areas hardest hit by the earthquake and tsunami, along with the Aceh Besar district.
A powerful 9.1-magnitude earthquake off the Indonesian island of Sumatra on December 26, 2004 triggered a tsunami that killed approximately 230,000 people in more than a dozen countries, reaching as far as East Africa.
About 1.7 million people have been displaced, mainly in the four countries most affected by the crisis: Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand. In Indonesia alone, more than 170,000 people died.
Even though 20 years have passed, the grief remains and survivors still remember their loved ones lost to the giant waves that leveled buildings in much of Aceh's coastal areas – as far as the town of Banda Aceh.
CBC News correspondent Evan Solomon reports from Banda Aceh, Indonesia, on the devastating effects of the 2004 tsunami
Infrastructure in Aceh has been rebuilt and is now more resilient than before the tsunami hit. Early warning systems have been installed in coastal areas to warn residents of a potential tsunami, providing a crucial moment to seek safety.
Reconstruction efforts were made possible thanks to the support of international donors and organizations that contributed significant resources to help rebuild the region.
Schools, hospitals and essential infrastructure destroyed by the disaster have been rebuilt with greater strength and durability, ensuring better readiness for future challenges.
The tsunami also claimed the lives of more than 8,000 people in Thailand, including many missing, leaving a deep scar on the nation's history. Nearly 400 bodies remain unidentified and unclaimed.