Survivors and families of victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami 20 years ago visited mass graves, lit candles and comforted one another across Southeast and South Asia in ceremonies on Thursday to mark the disaster that killed some 230,000 people.
The tsunami on Dec. 26, 2004 was triggered by a 9.1 magnitude quake off the coast of Indonesia’s Aceh province, sending waves as high as 17.4 metres (57 feet) slamming into the coastlines of Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India and nine other countries.
Reuters reports that in Indonesia, which accounted for more than half the total death toll, hundreds of survivors and family members of the victims visited a mass grave in the Ulee Lheue village, scattering flower petals on the stones that mark the graves. Many were crying and hugging their family members.
Some people weren’t sure if their loved ones were there, as many were buried unidentified, they said.
Nurkhalis, 52, said he lost his wife, his children, parents and in-laws to the tsunami, and none of their bodies were found.
