Families and relatives of tsunami victims gathered to pray and visit mass graves in the Indonesian city of Banda Aceh on Thursday to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Pacific Tsunami, one of the worst natural disasters in modern history.
Many wept as they laid flowers at the mass grave in the village of Ulee Lheue, where more than 14,000 unidentified victims of the tsunami are located. This is one of the mass graves in Banda Aceh, the capital of one of Indonesia’s northern provinces, which was one of the settlements hardest hit by the 9.1-magnitude earthquake and massive tsunami.
“We miss them and we don’t know where they are. All we know is that every vote we visit the mass grave in Ulee Lhue and in Siron,” said Muhammad Amiruddin, who lost his two children 20 years ago and never found their bodies.
A powerful earthquake near the Indonesian island of Sumatra on December 26, 2004 triggered a tsunami that killed about 230,000 people in several countries, including some in East Africa. Some 1.7 million people were displaced, most in the four hardest-hit countries: Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand.
More than 170 thousand people lost their lives in Indonesia alone.
Though 20 years have passed since this event, survivors in Indonesia are still mourning the loved ones who were lost when giant waves flattened buildings as far away as the capital Banda Aceh.
Hundreds of people gathered to attend prayers at the Baiturrahman Mosque in the centre of the capital. Sirens sounded across the city for three minutes to mark the time when the quake struck.
The infrastructure in Banda Aceh has been rebuilt and is now more stable than when the tsunami struck. An early warning system has now been deployed to coastal areas to warn residents of tsunami risks.
The reconstruction was made possible with the support of donors and international organizations, which contributed significant funds to help the region’s recovery.
Schools, hospitals and essential infrastructure, which were destroyed during this disaster, were rebuilt.
In Thailand, residents gathered for a memorial ceremony in Ban Nam Khem, a fishing village in Phang Nga province that was among the settlements hardest hit by the deadly waves in the state.
The tsunami killed more than 8 thousand people in Thailand, including those still missing, leaving a deep wound in the country’s history. About 400 bodies have not yet been identified.
Relatives of the victims wept and represented each other as they laid flowers at the memorial monument. Some 300 residents joined in a modest Muslim, Christian and Buddhist prayer ceremony.
One of the attendees, Urai Sirisuk, said she avoided the sea-side Memorial Park all year because of the shock of losing her 4-year-old daughter.
“I have the feeling that the sea took my child. I’m very angry at him. I can’t even put my foot in the sea anymore,” she says.
But, she says, “I still hear her voice in my ears, calling me. I can’t turn my back on him. “I have to stay here for my daughter”
In India, hundreds of residents gathered at Marina beach in the southern city of Chennai in Tamil Nadu province. They poured milk into the sea to appease the gods and offered flowers and prayers for the dead as the drums rang.
According to official data, 10,749 people died in India, including 7,000 residents of Tamil Nadu province.
“It’s been 20 years since the tsunami hit,” said 69-year-old Sadayammal. ”We are here to pay tribute to the people who lost their lives.
In Sri Lanka, survivors and families of tsunami victims gathered in the coastal village of Pereliya and laid flowers at the memorial monument commemorating the 2,000 passengers who died when the train – the Queen of the Sea – was hit by waves. Only a few dozen of them are believed to have survived.
Anura Ranjith joined the crowd to commemorate his sister, Annula Ranjani, and her 9-year-old daughter, traveling by train. He never heard of his fate again.
“I’ve been looking for them for years and I still don’t have any information about them. I am deeply saddened and saddened by their loss. I’m still crying, ” he says.
More than 35,000 people died in the tsunami in Sri Lanka. Residents of the country observed two minutes of silence on Thursday to remember those who are no longer there.VOA
