Indonesia today marked the 20th anniversary of the massive tsunami that killed more than 170,000 Indonesians, devastated Aceh province and went down in history as one of the worst natural disasters in modern history, the Associated Press reported, BTA reported.
Many today flocked to a mass grave in the village of Ule Lheue, where the remains of more than 14,000 unidentified and unclaimed tsunami victims are laid to rest. It is one of several mass graves in Banda Aceh - the capital of Indonesia's northernmost province.
On December 26, 2004 A powerful 9.1-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The ensuing tsunami killed an estimated 230,000 people in nearly a dozen countries, stretching as far as East Africa. An estimated 1.7 million people were displaced, mostly in the four hardest-hit countries: Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand.
Despite the passage of 20 years, the grief remains as survivors remember their loved ones who died when giant waves flattened buildings along much of Indonesia's coastline.
A number of countries and organizations have provided significant funds to help rebuild the region. Infrastructure in Aceh has been rebuilt and is now more resilient, and early warning systems have been installed in coastal areas.
The tsunami killed more than 8,000 people in Thailand, many of whom are still missing, and nearly 400 bodies remain unidentified and unclaimed.