On the 20th anniversary of the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami that struck on December 26, 2004, people in Indonesia’s Aceh province gathered to pray and visit mass graves to remember the victims. In Ulee Lheue village, where more than 14,000 unidentified victims are buried, mourners placed flowers at the mass grave. Survivors, like Muhamad Amirudin, who lost two children in the disaster, continue to grieve as they visit these graves every year, still not knowing the whereabouts of their loved ones.
The tsunami, triggered by a powerful earthquake off the coast of Sumatra, killed around 230,000 people across a dozen countries, displacing 1.7 million mostly in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand. Indonesia alone lost more than 170,000 lives, with Aceh bearing the brunt of the destruction. Despite two decades passing, survivors in Indonesia, especially in Banda Aceh, are still mourning the loss of their family members and struggling to find closure from the tragedy that flattened buildings and communities.
As the 20th anniversary was marked, hundreds of people gathered to pray at the Baiturrahman Mosque in downtown Banda Aceh, where sirens sounded for three minutes to mark the exact time of the earthquake. The region has since focused on rebuilding infrastructure and installing early warning systems in coastal areas to alert residents of any incoming tsunamis, showcasing more resilience and preparedness than before the disaster struck. International donors and organizations played a crucial role in supporting the rebuilding efforts, contributing significant funds to help the region recover and reconstruct essential facilities.
In Thailand, a memorial ceremony was held in Ban Nam Khem, a fishing village in Phang Nga province that was heavily impacted by the tsunami, claiming the lives of over 8,000 people. Despite the 20-year gap, the deep scars of the tragedy remain a part of the nation’s history, with nearly 400 bodies still unclaimed. In India, people gathered at Marina beach in Chennai to offer tributes and prayers for the nearly 11,000 people who lost their lives, with many still grieving their loved ones, like 69-year-old Sadayammal, who came to pay respects to the victims.
In Sri Lanka’s coastal village of Pereliya, survivors and relatives of tsunami victims gathered to remember the nearly 2,000 passengers who lost their lives when the Queen of the Sea train was hit by the wave. Anura Ranjith joined the mourners to pay respects to his younger sister and her daughter, who were passengers on the train and never heard from again. Across the nation, people observed two minutes of silence to honor the memory of those who perished in the devastating tsunami, a tragedy that claimed more than 35,000 lives in Sri Lanka alone. The legacy of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami lives on in the hearts and minds of those who continue to remember and honor the victims every year on its anniversary.
