2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami: Prayers, Tears Mark 20 Years of Disaster

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (AP) – People gathered in prayer and visited mass graves in Indonesia’s Aceh province Thursday to mark 20 years since the massive tsunami in the Indian Ocean hit the region in one of the worst natural disasters in modern history.

Many wept as they placed flowers at a mass grave in the village of Ulee Lheue, 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 areas hardest hit by a 9.1 magnitude earthquake and the massive tsunami it triggered.

“We miss them and we still don’t know where they are. All we know is that every year we visit the mass grave in Ulee Lhue and Siron,” said Muhamad Amirudin, who lost two of his children 20 years ago and never found their bodies.

“This life is only temporary, so we do our best to be useful to others,” said Amirudin, who visited the tomb with his wife.

The powerful one earthquake off the coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra on December 26, 2004 triggered a tsunami that killed about 230,000 people in a dozen countriesand reaches as far as East Africa. About 1.7 million people were displaced, mainly in the four hardest-hit countries: Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand.

More than 170,000 people died in Indonesia alone.

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

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

The 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 incoming tsunamis, giving crucial time to seek safety.

Reconstruction efforts were made possible by the support of international donors and organizations, which contributed significant funds to help the region recover. Schools, hospitals and essential infrastructure destroyed by the disaster have been rebuilt.

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

The The tsunami claimed over 8,000 lives in Thailandincluding many who remain missing, leaving a deep scar in the nation’s history. Almost 400 bodies remain unclaimed.

Mourners shed tears and comforted each other as they laid flowers at the village’s tsunami memorial. About 300 people attended a modest ceremony with Muslim, Christian and Buddhist prayers.

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

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

But she said: “I still hear her voice in my ears calling me. I can’t leave 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 appease the gods and offered flowers and prayers for the dead while 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’s been 20 years since the tsunami,” said 69-year-old Sadayammal, who uses one name. “We are here to pay respect to the people who lost their lives.”

IN Sri Lankasurvivors and relatives of tsunami victims gathered at the coastal village of Pereliya and laid flowers at a memorial commemorating nearly 2,000 passengers who died when their train, The Queen of the Sea, was hit by the wave. Only a few dozen people are believed to have survived.

Anura Ranjith joined mourners to pay respects to her 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 everywhere for them for years and still no information about them. Their loss is a great sadness and pain for me. I am still grieving,” he said.

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

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Tarigan reported from Jakarta, Indonesia. Associated Press reporters Tian Macleod Ji in Phang Nga, Thailand, Jintamas Saksornchai in Bangkok, Aijaz Hussain in New Delhi, Bharatha Malawarachi in Colombo, Sri Lanka and Eranga Jayawardena in Pereliya, Sri Lanka contributed to this report.