Commemoration marks 20 years since the Indian Ocean tsunami, one of the deadliest natural disasters in history

People gathered in prayer and visited mass graves in Indonesia's Aceh province on Thursday to mark the 20th anniversary of the massacre Indian Ocean Tsunami the region was hit by one of the worst natural disasters in modern history.

Many wept as they laid flowers at a mass grave in the small town of Ulee Leheue, where more than 14,000 unidentified tsunami victims are buried. It is one of several mass graves in Banda Aceh, the capital of Indonesia's northernmost province, which was one of the worst hit areas by the 9.1 magnitude earthquake and the massive tsunami it triggered.

“We miss them and we still don't know where they are. We only know that we visit the grave in Ulee Lhue and Siron every year,” said Muhamad Amirudin, who lost two of his children 20 years ago and he never did. find the body.

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

Another man there, Nurkhalis, 52, told Reuters news agency that his wife, children, parents and siblings were all swept away in the tsunami.

“Although time has passed so far, but the same feeling drags us on this date, especially those of us who lost our family at that time,” he said.

The powerful earthquake off the coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra on December 26, 2004, triggered a tsunami that killed approximately 230,000 people across a dozen countries, reaching as far as East Africa. Waves up to 100 feet high swept away almost everything – and everyone – in their path.

There were about 1.7 million people has been dismissedmostly in the four worst 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 mourning the loved ones they lost in the massive wave that flattened buildings all the way to the regional capital of Banda Aceh .

Hundreds of people gathered to pray at the Baiturrahman Mosque in central Banda Aceh. Sealers stood throughout the town for three minutes to mark the time of the earthquake.

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

In the years 2004, infrastructure in Aceh was rebuilt and is now more stable than it was before the tsunami hit. Early warning systems have been installed in coastal areas to warn residents of incoming tsunamis, providing critical time to seek safety.

The rebuilding efforts were made possible with the support of donors and international organizations, who contributed large sums of money to help the region recover. Schools, hospitals, and essential infrastructure were destroyed in the reconstruction disaster.

In Thailand, people gathered at a memorial ceremony in Ban Nam Khem, a small fishing village in Phang Nga district that was affected by the devastating wave in the country.

The tsunami claimed the lives of more than 8,000 people in Thailand, including many who are still missing, leaving a deep scar in the country's history. Nearly 400 bodies remain unclaimed.

Mourners shed tears and comforted each other as they laid flowers at the town's tsunami memorial. About 300 people joined in a small ceremony with Muslim, Christian and Buddhist prayers.

Urai Sirisuk said she avoids the sea memorial park for the rest of the year because the loss of her 4-year-old daughter still cuts deeper every time she is reminded.

“I have this feeling that the sea has caught my child. I'm very angry with him. I can't even put my foot in the water,” she said.

But, she said, “I still hear her voice in my ears, that she is calling me. I can't abandon her. So I have to be here for my child.”

In India, hundreds gathered at Marina beach in the southern city of Chennai in the state of Tamil Nadu. They poured milk into the sea to guide the gods and offered flowers and prayers to the dead while the drums beat in the background.

According to official data, 10,749 people were killed in India, including nearly 7,000 people in Tamil Nadu alone.

“It has been 20 years since the tsunami,” said Sadayammal, who is 69 years old, and uses one name. “We are here to honor the people who lost their lives.”

In Sri Lanka, survivors and relatives of tsunami victims gathered in the coastal town of Pereliya and laid flowers at a memorial commemorating the nearly 2,000 passengers who died when the wave hit the train of them, the Queen of the Sea. It is believed that only a few dozen people have survived.

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

“I looked for them everywhere for years and still, no information about them. Their loss is a great sadness and pain for me. I am still sad,” he said.

In total, more than 35,000 people died in Sri Lanka in the tsunami. People across the country observed two minutes of silence on Thursday in memory of those who lost their lives.

There was little warning at the time, but in the years since the 2004 disaster, a tsunami warning system deployed to protect the area. A network of seismometers to detect undersea earthquakes, along with tide gauges and sea buoys, can pick up early signs of the tremors that generate tsunamis, and improved communication networks will help provide these warnings to officials around the world.