Survivors and families of victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami 20 years ago visited mass graves, lit candles and comforted each other in Southeast and South Asia in ceremonies on Thursday (26) to mark the disaster that killed around 230 thousand people.
The tsunami of December 26, 2004, was triggered by a magnitude 9.1 earthquake off the coast of Indonesia’s Aceh province, sending waves up to 17.4 meters high that struck the coasts of Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India and nine other countries.
In Indonesia, which accounts for more than half the total death toll, hundreds of survivors and families of victims visited a mass grave in the village of Ulee Lheue, scattering flower petals on the stones that mark the graves. Many were crying and hugging their families.
Some people weren’t sure if their loved ones were there because many were buried without identification, they said.
Nurkhalis, 52, said he lost his wife, children, parents and in-laws in the tsunami, and none of their bodies were found.
“Although time has passed, the same feeling haunts us on this date, especially those who lost their family at that time,” he said, at the mass grave.
A memorial was also held in the courtyard in front of Aceh’s Baiturrahman Grand Mosque, where hundreds of people sat in silence for three minutes before praying together.
“The sea took my daughter”
Sri Lanka marked the day with two minutes of silence at the Peraliya Tsunami Memorial Statue in the city of Galle, the country’s disaster management center said in a brief statement.
In Tamil Nadu, the worst-hit Indian state, residents lit candles and said prayers for the dead.
Thailand marked the anniversary near the village of Ban Nam Khem in southern Phang Nga province, holding religious rituals in honor of the dead.
Hundreds of people visited the Tsunami Wall, a memorial near the site where the rituals were performed, to pay their respects to lost loved ones.
“I felt like the waves took my daughter away, I was so angry about it,” said Urai Sirisuk, a 62-year-old resident who lost her four-year-old daughter.
Urai stated that he would not go near the sea, which is only 50 meters away.
“I can’t get close to him, not even with my feet in the sand. I wouldn’t come here if it wasn’t necessary, ever. The sea took my daughter from me,” he added.
Phang Nga province was one of the hardest hit in Thailand, with the disaster causing the deaths of 5,400 people, including foreign tourists.
This content was originally published in Thousands of people gather on the 20th anniversary of the deadly tsunami in the Indian Ocean on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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