Disaster Sirens sound in memory of 2004 tsunami victims
20 years after the devastating tsunami in the Indian Ocean, the commemoration of the more than 220,000 victims from Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and other affected countries has begun. The Indonesian city of Banda Aceh kicked things off.
26.12.2024, 04:45
SDA
An official ceremony in a mosque there marked the beginning of a series of commemorations throughout Asia. A three-minute siren sounded at the exact moment when a severe earthquake caused huge waves on December 26, 2004.
In Indonesia, there will be a communal evening prayer, while in Sri Lanka, India and Thailand memorial services on the beach and religious ceremonies are planned.
No early warning system
The worst tsunami in history was triggered by a severe 9.1-magnitude seaquake off the west coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. From the center of the quake, the tsunami spread across the entire Indian Ocean at a speed of up to 800 kilometers per hour, reaching Sri Lanka, India and Thailand within two hours.
Because there was no early warning system in the Indian Ocean at the time, the disaster struck without warning: Indonesia alone recorded more than 165,00 deaths - the vast majority in the province of Aceh in northern Sumatra, where the tidal waves were particularly high.
