People began gathering in prayer 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. today.
Many wept openly at the mass grave in the town of Ulee Leue, where more than 14,000 unknown and unidentified tsunami victims are buried. It is one of several mass graves in Banda Aceh, the capital of Indonesia's northernmost province. This was one of the areas worst hit by the earthquake and tsunami, along with the Aceh Besar area.
A powerful 9.1 magnitude earthquake off the coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra on December 26, 2004, triggered a tsunami that killed an estimated 230,000 people across a dozen countries, reaching as far as East Africa.
About 1.7 million people have been displaced, mostly 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, the grief remains and those who survived remember their loved ones, lost by the huge waves that flattened buildings in most areas Aceh coast – all the way to Banda Aceh city.
CBC News correspondent Evan Solomon reports from Banda Aceh, Indonesia on the devastating effects of the 2004 tsunami
The infrastructure in Aceh has been rebuilt and is now more stable than before the tsunami hit. Early warning systems have been installed in coastal areas to warn residents of potential tsunamis, providing critical time to seek safety.
The reconstruction efforts were made possible with the support of donors and international organizations, which provided large sums of money to help the region recover.
Schools, hospitals, and essential infrastructure destroyed by the disaster have been rebuilt with greater strength and durability, ensuring that they are better prepared for future challenges.
The tsunami also claimed the lives of more than 8,000 people in Thailand, including many who are still missing, leaving a deep scar on the country's history. Nearly 400 organizations remain unknown and unclaimed.
