On Thursday morning, people gathered in prayer across Indonesia's Aceh province, marking two decades since the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami—a catastrophe that remains etched in history. Survivors and families of the victims visited mass graves, many weeping as they placed flowers at the resting places of those lost to the sea.
In Ulee Lheue village, where over 14,000 unidentified victims lie in a mass grave, the grief was palpable. These victims, unclaimed and unnamed, represent a fraction of the loss suffered on December 26, 2004, when a 9.1-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Sumatra. Indonesia bore the heaviest burden, with over 170,000 fatalities. Twenty years later, the memories of flattened towns and haunting silences linger in Banda Aceh, the provincial capital, where survivors are still grappling with the scars of that day.
The seismic shock triggered waves that swallowed coastal regions across a dozen nations, from Indonesia to East Africa. The numbers alone are staggering: 230,000 lives lost, 1.7 million displaced, and countless communities destroyed.
In Thailand, remembrance ceremonies were held in Ban Nam Khem, a small fishing village in Phang Nga province that bore the brunt of the tsunami's fury. Over 8,000 lives were lost in Thailand, with nearly 400 bodies still unclaimed. For those who survived, the waves left not just destruction but also a lasting wound on the nation's history.
Offering milk and flowers to the sea, silent processions and prayers along Tamil Nadu's lengthy coastline on Thursday marked 20 years since the massive Tsunami struck the state on December 26, 2004. In Chennai, Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi along with the fishermen and the families who lost their kin in the devastating 2004 Tsunami, participated in the Tsunami Remembrance Day march at the Marina Beach.
The giant wave had swallowed about 7,993 people in Tamil Nadu including 6,065 lives in Nagapattinam district alone in the tsunami triggered by an earthquake beneath the Indian Ocean near the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. The unprecedented devastation due to the fury of the waves affected around 50 town panchayats of six coastal districts of Kancheepuram, Villupuram, Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Kanyakumari, and Thoothukudi in the state.
The calm Sunday following Christmas had turned into a dreaded nightmare for several hundreds of families in the coastal districts from Cuddalore to Kanyakumari. The huge waves ravaged habitations, and infrastructure besides claiming human lives.
In Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the tragedy takes a personal form for many. Namita Roy, now 46, recalls the day with a shudder. “I don’t want to recall that dark day,” she says, her voice trembling. “I was pregnant and busy with daily chores. Suddenly, I noticed an eerie silence and was shocked to witness the sea receding miles from our shore. We also noticed zugunruhe in birds.” Namita gave birth to her son in a snake-infested jungle where she and her family had taken refuge after waves consumed her home in Hut Bay Island. Her son, born amidst chaos, was named Tsunami, a reminder of their survival.
For survivors like Namita, the tsunami was more than a natural disaster—it was a life-altering event that forced communities to rebuild not just their homes, but their lives. As the world remembers the victims and the stories of survival, the Indian Ocean tsunami stands as a reminder of nature's power—and humanity’s spirit in the face of loss.
With inputs from PTI, AP & Reuters