BANDA ACEH, Indonesia — People gathered in prayer and visited mass graves in Indonesia’s Aceh province on Thursday to mark 20 years since the massive Indian Ocean tsunami hit the region in one of modern history’s worst natural disasters.
Some 1.7 million people were displaced, mostly in the four worst-affected countries: Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand.
Hundreds of people gathered to pray at the Baiturrahman Mosque in downtown Banda Aceh.
Overall, more than 35,000 people died in Sri Lanka in the tsunami.
Associated Press journalists Tian Macleod Ji in Phang Nga, Thailand, Jintamas Saksornchai in Bangkok, Aijaz Hussain in New Delhi, Bharatha Mallawarachi in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and Eranga Jayawardena in Pereliya, Sri Lanka, contributed to this report.
BANDA ACEH, Indonesia — To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami that struck the Aceh province of Indonesia, one of the worst natural disasters in modern history, people went to mass graves and gathered in prayer on Thursday.
At a mass grave in Ulee Lheue village, where over 14,000 unidentified tsunami victims are interred, many people sobbed as they laid flowers. It is among a number of mass graves in Banda Aceh, the capital of the northernmost province of Indonesia, which was severely damaged by an earthquake of magnitude 9.1 and the ensuing enormous tsunami.
“We are missing them and are still unsure of their location. Muhammad Amirudin, who lost two of his children 20 years ago and has never located their bodies, stated, “All we know is that we visit the mass grave in Ulee Lhue and Siron every year.”.
When Amirudin and his wife visited the grave, he said, “We try our best to be helpful to others because this life is only temporary.”.
The strong earthquake that occurred in December off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. killed about 230,000 people in a dozen countries, including East Africa, after causing a tsunami on April 26, 2004. Approximately 11.7 million people were displaced, primarily in the four nations that were most severely impacted: Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia.
Over 170,000 people lost their lives in Indonesia alone.
Despite the passage of two decades, survivors in Indonesia continue to mourn the loved ones they lost in the massive wave that destroyed buildings all the way to Banda Aceh, the provincial capital.
At Banda Aceh’s downtown Baiturrahman Mosque, hundreds of people gathered to pray. To indicate when the earthquake occurred, sirens sounded for three minutes throughout the city.
Aceh’s infrastructure has been restored and is now more robust than it was prior to the tsunami. Coastal communities have installed early warning systems to notify locals of impending tsunamis, giving them vital time to evacuate.
International organizations and donors provided substantial financial contributions to aid in the region’s recovery, enabling the reconstruction efforts. Hospitals, schools, and other vital infrastructure that was damaged in the catastrophe have been rebuilt.
A memorial ceremony was held in Ban Nam Khem, a small fishing village in Phang Nga province, Thailand, which was hardest hit by the devastating wave.
Over 8,000 people in Thailand lost their lives in the tsunami, and many more are still unaccounted for, leaving a lasting scar on the country’s history. Almost 400 bodies are still unclaimed.
The village’s tsunami memorial was filled with flowers, and mourners wept and consoled one another. Approximately 300 people attended a small ceremony that included Buddhist, Christian, and Muslim prayers.
According to Urai Sirisuk, she stays away from the seaside memorial park for the remainder of the year because reminding her of the death of her 4-year-old daughter still hurts.
“I feel like my child has been taken by the sea.”. I’m furious with it. She remarked, “I can’t even wade into the water.”.
However, she stated, “I can still hear her voice calling out to me in my ears.”. I can’t leave her behind. For my child’s sake, I must be present. “.”.
Hundreds of people congregated at Chennai’s Marina Beach in Tamil Nadu state, in southern India. They offered flowers and prayers for the deceased while drums pounded in the background, and they poured milk into the sea to appease the gods.
Official statistics show that 10,749 people were killed in India, with nearly 7,000 of those deaths occurring in Tamil Nadu alone.
“Twenty years have passed since the tsunami,” said Sadayammal, 69, who goes by one name. “We’re here to honor those who lost their lives. “.”.
At the seaside village of Pereliya in Sri Lanka, survivors and family members of tsunami victims gathered and placed flowers at a memorial honoring the nearly 2,000 people who perished when the wave struck their train, the Queen of the Sea. There are thought to have been only a few dozen survivors.
In order to honor his younger sister, Anula Ranjani, and her 9-year-old daughter, who were on the train, Anura Ranjith joined the mourners. After that day, Ranjith never heard from them again.
“I searched everywhere for them for years and still couldn’t find any information about them. I feel so sad and hurt by their passing. He said, “I’m still in mourning.”.
In all, the tsunami claimed the lives of over 35,000 people in Sri Lanka. On Thursday, people nationwide observed two minutes of silence in remembrance of the deceased.
.
