Jakarta, Dec 26 (IANS) Residents of Indonesia’s Aceh province in the northern tip of Sumatra Island paid tribute on Thursday to relatives, family members, and friends who lost their lives during the tsunami on December 26, 2004.
The wailing of a siren in Takengon town marked the commemoration of the catastrophe. “Let us jointly pray, remembering our brothers and sisters who became victims of the tsunami 20 years ago,” said Safrizal, acting Governor of Aceh.
He said that the Aceh tsunami siren, which sounds every December 26 during the commemoration, serves as a reminder to foster public awareness of disaster preparedness.
In the provincial capital Banda Aceh, residents gathered at mass graves, sowed flowers, and prayed for their loved ones killed by the giant waves when the tsunami struck the coastal areas, Xinhua news agency reported.
“I am certain that my family members who could not be found were buried here. Hopefully, they have been resting in peace,” said Maya, one of the residents visiting the mass graves in Ulee Lheue village.
The 2004 disaster struck the province and 13 other nations along the Indian Ocean coast.
The 20th anniversary of the Aceh tsunami was commemorated under the title “Aceh Thanks the World” and carried the theme “Moving on from the Past, Towards the Future of Aceh with Sharia Law.”
The tsunami caused one of the largest natural disasters in recorded history, killing an estimated 228,000 people across 15 countries, with Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Maldives, and Thailand sustaining massive damage. Indonesian officials estimated that the death toll there alone ultimately exceeded 200,000, particularly in northern Sumatra’s Aceh province. Tens of thousands were reported dead or missing in Sri Lanka and India, a large number of them from the Indian Andaman and Nicobar Islands territory.
–IANS
int/jk/
Disclaimer
The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by TodayIndia.news and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website.
Through this website you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of TodayIndia.news We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.
Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly. However, TodayIndia.news takes no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, the website being temporarily unavailable due to technical issues beyond our control.
For any legal details or query please visit original source link given with news or click on Go to Source.
Our translation service aims to offer the most accurate translation possible and we rarely experience any issues with news post. However, as the translation is carried out by third part tool there is a possibility for error to cause the occasional inaccuracy. We therefore require you to accept this disclaimer before confirming any translation news with us.
If you are not willing to accept this disclaimer then we recommend reading news post in its original language.
