Asia-Pacific

Ceremonies Mark 20 Years Since Indian Ocean Tsunami; 230,000 Lives Lost in Quake-Triggered Disaster

Nobuteru Sakuda / The Yomiuri Shimbun
People gather to mourn victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami at a memorial service held Thursday in Banda Aceh, Indonesia.

By Nobuteru Sakuda / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent

16:16 JST, December 26, 2024

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia — Thursday marked the 20th anniversary of the Indian Ocean tsunami that claimed the lives of about 230,000 people.

Bereaved families and others offered prayers at memorial services held in various locations including Banda Aceh, the capital of hard-hit Aceh Province in Indonesia.

Triggered by a massive magnitude-9.1 earthquake off Sumatra Island on Dec. 26, 2004, the tsunami hit countries along the rim of the Indian Ocean. In Indonesia, about 167,000 people died or went missing.

Attendees were seen wiping away tears at a ceremony held in a mosque in the heart of Banda Aceh in the north Sumatra.