In Indonesia’s Aceh province, people came together in prayer and visited mass graves to remember the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami that struck the region 20 years ago, marking one of the deadliest natural disasters in modern history.
Many wept as they placed flowers at a mass grave in Ulee Lheue village, where more than 14,000 unidentified tsunami victims are buried.
Banda Aceh, the provincial capital, houses several mass graves as it was severely affected by a powerful 9.1-magnitude earthquake followed by a colossal tsunami.
Among the attendees was Anura Ranjith, who paid homage to his younger sister, Anula Ranjani, and her daughter, who were on a train during the catastrophe, never to be heard from again.
“I looked for them everywhere for years and still, no information about them. Their loss is a great sorrow and pain for me. I am still grieving,” he said.
Overall, more than 35,000 people died in Sri Lanka in the tsunami. People across the country observed two minutes of silence on Thursday in memory of those who lost their lives.
