Asia marks 10 years since Indian Ocean tsunami

About 230,000 people were killed by the disaster. Many victims were never found or never identified.

December 26, 2014 10:58 am | Updated November 17, 2021 11:06 am IST - KHAO LAK, Thailand

Children take part in a ceremony to pay homage to tsunami victims at Threspuram beach in Tuticorin on Friday. Photo: N. Rajesh

Children take part in a ceremony to pay homage to tsunami victims at Threspuram beach in Tuticorin on Friday. Photo: N. Rajesh

Beachside memorials and religious services were planned across Asia to mark 10 years since the Indian Ocean tsunami slammed into a dozen nations and killed nearly a quarter million people.

Survivors, government officials, diplomats and family members of victims will attend ceremonies on Friday in Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India and elsewhere as part of the day’s solemn commemorations.

On December 26, 2004, the region’s most powerful earthquake in 40 years tore open the sea bed off Indonesia’s Sumatra, displacing billions of tonnes of water and sending waves roaring across the Indian Ocean at jetliner speeds as far away as East Africa.

About 230,000 people were killed by the disaster. Many victims were never found or never identified.

Top News Today

Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.