Tsunami 2004: 18 years of devastating events, people dedicate the victims to tears

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Today marks the 18th anniversary of the devastating 2004 tsunami that rocked the Indian Ocean and besieged the countries of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand. More than 230,000 people in South Asia were killed and thousands displaced by the 100-foot tsunami that was triggered by a magnitude 9.1 earthquake.

According to media reports and the World Bank, the earthquake was the third largest ever recorded in the 21st century which lasted the longest, between 8 and 10 minutes. The earthquake caused the sea floor to rise more than 120 feet and wreaked havoc in the coastal state of Tamil Nadu. Many Indian fishermen and a large number of civilians who went to Velankanni to celebrate Christmas died because of the disaster. A total of 12,405 people lost their lives in India, including 107 in Andhra Pradesh, 177 in Kerala, 8,000 in Tamil Nadu, 599 in Pondicherry and 3,513 in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

In 2005 the Ministry of Home Affairs released a ‘Tsunami Impact Report’ which stated that ‘Tsunamis caused severe damage in Andaman and Nicobar Islands and the states of Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Utah in Pondicherry. 119 aftershocks were reported so far (110 between >5.0 -6.0 <و 12> 6.0 on the Richter Scale) and there was no earthquake of magnitude >6.0 in the area after January 4, 2005. The death toll was 10,022.”

People paid tribute to the victims of the 2004 tsunami

To commemorate and remember the people who lost their lives in this incident, the fishermen of Tamil Nadu honored the victims by pouring milk into the sea and sprinkling flowers.

People, including fishermen, gathered in large numbers in the coastal areas of Cuddalore, Thoothukudi and Kanyakumari. Those who live along the coastline from Chennai to Kanyakumari take a silent procession to the beach and pay tearful homage by pouring milk into the sea.

In Nagapattinam district, the fishermen, accompanied by the public, merchants and members of political parties made a huge procession and paid tribute at Akkaraipettai. In several other places candles were lit with banners and pictures of the victims were posted.

This day serves as a reminder of the power of nature and highlights the importance of preparing for natural disasters. Since 2004, India and other countries along the Indian Ocean Belt have developed their own security systems to quickly respond to such warnings in the future.

The people of Sri Lanka observed two minutes of silence on Monday to pay their respects to the victims of the 2004 tsunami.

A two-minute silence was observed from 9:25 a.m. to 9:27 a.m. local time, which was the time when the massive tsunami crashed into Sri Lanka killing more than 35,000 people in 2004. Traffic came to a halt in much of the island nation. While employees in public and private institutions stood silently in memory of the victims.

Indonesia on Monday commemorated the thousands of people who died in the 2004 tsunami, with various religious rituals. People pray at the mass burial cemetery to commemorate the 18th anniversary of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, in Banda Aceh.

Aceh provincial authorities, Indonesian police and local fishermen’s associations, along with other groups, have organized prayers in memory of the nearly 170,000 victims of the tsunami in Sumatra, which was hit by waves as high as 30 meters.

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