Grief and commemoration: 20 years after the devastating tsunami

Grief and commemoration: 20 years after the devastating tsunami

Banda Aceh, Indonesien - On December 26, 2024, the devastating tsunami from 2004 in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand was reminded with emotional memorial events. In Banda Aceh, the most affected province, the sirens howled during a moving ceremony in the Baiturrahman mosque. Here survivors and relatives came together to commemorate the more than 160,000 victims in Aceh. In Sri Lanka, the approximately 40,000 deaths were thought of with a ten -minute silence, while in Thailand numerous monuments, as in the Tsunami Memorial Park in Phang NGA, were honored with as respectful memorial events, such as kathpress reported .

memories of the tragedy

The terrible events of December 26, 2004 were triggered by a huge lower base of the strength 9.1, which created a tsunami flood wave with waves up to 20 meters high. Most of the estimated 230,000 deaths were to be complained about in Indonesia, where people are intensively reminiscent of the devastation. A municipal representative in Banda Aceh underlined the importance of memorial celebrations as a possibility to raise awareness of disaster prevention and to celebrate the reconstruction. "It is about the resistance and unity that shaped us", as Nordkurier reported .

In addition to the memorial events, various programs were also initiated on Sri Lanka to improve disaster prevention. December 26th has been recognized in Sri Lanka as a national day of security since 2005. In the meantime, silent processions and prayers took place in India along the coast to commemorate the over 8,000 victims who lost their lives there. The governor of Tamil Nadu, R. N. Ravi, took part in a memorial march on the Marina-Strand in Chennai and thus showed his solidarity with the victims of the tsunamis.