- The devastating December 26 2004 tsunami struck a dozen countries around the Indian Ocean rim
- It eradicated entire coastal communities, decimated families and crashed over tourist-filled beaches
- Beachside memorials and religious services were held across Asia to mark the 10th anniversary of the tragedy
- Survivors, politicians and families of victims gathered in Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India and elsewhere
- 'We tearfully saw thousands of corpses, no words can describe our feelings at that time' - Indonesia's vice president
- The tsunami killed over a quarter of a million people - including 151 Britons and thousands of Germans and Swedes
Beachside
memorials and religious services have been held across Asia to mark the
10th anniversary of the Indian Ocean tsunami that left more than a
quarter of a million people dead - including 151 Britons - in one of
modern history's worst natural disasters.
The
devastating December 26 2004 tsunami struck a dozen countries around
the Indian Ocean rim, eradicated entire coastal communities, decimated
families and crashed over tourist-filled beaches, with survivors wading
through a horror show of corpse-filled waters.
Survivors,
politicians, diplomats and families of victims gathered in Indonesia,
Thailand, Sri Lanka, India and elsewhere. Moments of silence were held
in several spots to mark the exact time the tsunami struck and Prime
Minister David Cameron praised the resilience of the communities
affected and those who assisted them afterwards.
Micheala Gerlach of Berlin (left)
prepares to lay flowers on a wreath in memory of her best friend
Claudia Schwarz who died in the tsunami at Khao Lak, southern Thailand,
with other Germans who also lost family members and friends
People pay their respects to the
victims of the 2004 tsunami at a wave-shaped memorial in Ban Nam Khem, a
fishing village in southern Thailand destroyed by the wave
Moved: A foreign tourist visits the Ban Nam Khem tsunami memorial park wall on the tenth anniversary of the tsunami
Relatives of the victims killed when
the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami waves hit their train, arrive at Peraliya,
Sri Lanka, the location where the tragedy occurred
Relatives of the victims killed when
the tsunami waves hit their train offer flowers at a monument
commemorating the tenth anniversary of the disaster at Peraliya
An estimated 1,400 people died when
the early morning Sri Lankan office train was dashed by the strong waves
in 2004. Pictured are flowers being laid at the location of the tragedy
Relatives of the 2004 tsunami victims
pray at a mass grave in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, today, 10 years after
waves wreaked havoc in the region. Banda Aceh was the first place to be
hit by the waves
Swedish women Lottie Knutson and
Therese Wahlund stand in silent memory on the beach at Khao Lak,
southern Thailand, after placing flowers into the sea at the time the
2004 tsunami struck to remember lost colleagues and friends
The
disaster was triggered by a 9.1-magnitude earthquake, the region's most
powerful in 40 years, that tore open the seabed bed off of Indonesia's
Sumatran coast, displacing billions of tons of water and sending waves
roaring across the Indian Ocean at jetliner speeds as far away as east
Africa.
Indonesia's
Aceh province was hit first and hardest. The sea rose as high as 33
feet and surged inland for miles with seemingly unstoppable force,
carrying along trees, houses, train cars - and thousands of people - in a
churning rush.
Indonesia's
vice president Jusuf Kalla attended a ceremony in Banda Aceh, the
capital of Aceh province, in which sashes were distributed to the
ambassadors of countries that assisted in the massive recovery effort 10
years ago.
He
said: 'Here in this field 10 years ago ... we tearfully saw thousands
of corpses lying. No words can describe our human feelings at that time -
confused, shocked, sad, scared - in seeing the suffering of the people
in Aceh. But we could not remain in sadness, Aceh had to rise again, and
all Indonesians in this archipelago helped, people all over the world
offered their assistance.'
Later
in the day, Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha was to lead a
ceremony at a beached police boat that was out at sea when the tsunami
struck and was carried more than one mile inland by the massive waves.
It has become a permanent memorial to the power of the waves that day.
More than 160,000 people died in Indonesia, more than half of the total 230,000 people killed across the region.
In
Thailand, more than 5,000 people were killed, about half of whom were
tourists celebrating the day after Christmas on the country's renowned
white-sand beaches.
In
Sri Lanka, the water swept a passenger train from its tracks, killing
nearly 2,000 people in a single blow. A symbolic recreation of the train
journey was planned.
Ben Atreu Flegel, 25, a German
survivor of the Asian tsunami who lost his grandparents ten years ago on
this very beach, stands facing the sea in quiet reflection during a
commemoration and religious ceremony for German, Austrian and Swiss
victims of the tsunami in Khao Lak
An Acehnese child plays on Syiah Kuala beach in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, during the 10th anniversary of the tsunami
Indonesia's Vice president Jusuf Kalla
(right) shakes hand with Singapore's Second Minister of Defence Chan
Chun Sing during a ceremony to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the
tsunami in Banda Aceh
In 2004 the devastated district of
Banda Aceh in Indonesia is a sea of debris and destruction. Ten years on
it is virtually unrecognisable
An aerial shot taken from a US Navy
Seahawk helicopter from carrier USS Abraham Lincoln shows devastation
caused by the Indian Ocean tsunami to the west of Aceh in 2004. The same
aerial view today paints a much prettier picture
A scene of devastation covers the
tsunami hit Indonesian City of Banda Aceh. Ten years on a cart drives by
in Taman Sari Park prior to the tenth anniversary commemoration which
is to be held here
Acehnese walk amid dead bodies and
debris thrown around by the tsunami that hit the Indonesian City of
Banda Aceh, Indonesia. But ten years on in exactly the same place it's
like the horrific scene never happened
An aerial shot taken from a US Navy
Seahawk helicopter from carrier USS Abraham Lincoln shows devastation
caused by the tsunami to the west of Aceh in Indonesia on January 8,
2005. On the right is the same location ten years on
'I
cannot forget the smell of the air, the water at that time, even after
10 years,' said Teuku Ahmad Salman, 51, who joined thousands in a prayer
service in Banda Aceh.
'I
cannot forget how I lost hold of my wife, my kids, my house,' he said
sobbing, recounting that he refused to believe for years that they had
died, but finally gave up looking for them.
More
than 100 survivors of the tsunami along with bereaved relatives from
Germany, Austria and Switzerland held a memorial service on a beach in
Khao Lak, Thailand. They walked into the waves and lay flowers in the
warm Andaman Sea, while diplomats placed wreaths on the sand.
'I
didn't expect it would touch me so much after 10 years again because
I've come back every now and then in recent years,' said German tsunami
survivor Claudia Geist, who was so badly injured during the tsunami she
almost lost a leg.
CHURCH MINISTER CAUGHT UP IN THE DISASTER RECALLS HOW HE ARRIVED AT THE LOCATION OF HIS BEACHSIDE HOTEL TO FIND THAT IT HAD BEEN WASHED AWAY
A
church minister has recalled the life-changing moment the Boxing Day
tsunami brought death and destruction exactly 10 years ago to the island
where he set up home.
The
Rev John Purves, 66, had been in Sri Lanka for little over a year when
the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami struck on December 26 2004.
It
claimed the lives of about 270,000 people in several different
countries and prompted unprecedented levels of charitable giving.
Living
in one of the worst-hit countries, the Scots minister found himself at
the centre of relief efforts in his community after the natural disaster
struck.
'It's in these circumstances that you know what life's about,' he said.
'Most
of the time you're just cruising along. It's only when something like
that cuts across the day-to-day that we think about what our priorities
are - what really matters, what do we really need to survive and what
can I do to be of some help to somebody else?'
A
decade ago, Mr Purves, now retired and living in North Ayrshire, was
the Church of Scotland minister of St Andrew's Scots Kirk in Colombo,
Sri Lanka.
The Rev John Purves, 66, had been in
Sri Lanka for little over a year when the tsunami struck on December 26,
2004. He's pictured outside his former church, St Andrew's Scots Kirk
in Colombo
A few months into his placement, he had been in hospital with a fever and was told to take things easy for a while.
'It was fairly soon after that that the tsunami struck,' he said.
On
the 26, a Sunday, he gave a morning service before setting off with his
wife for a beach holiday on the other side of the island.
Throughout the six-hour drive, they were unaware of the tragedy which had struck the coastline.
He said: 'It was only around 6pm in the evening, as we arrived at our beach resort, that we discovered there was no hotel.
'Like many other hotels on the coast of the island, it had been swamped by the wave.
'Some people had drowned, everything was damaged or destroyed.
'There
were boats halfway up the driveway, there were cars on rooftops, sofas
and bed frames in the tennis courts, there were fishing boats in the
trees.'
He
and his wife found temporary shelter further inland and eventually
managed to phone their son in the UK to let him know they were safe.
Remarkably,
it was Mr Purves's second experience of being caught up in a natural
disaster. The first when he was in Jamaica the 1980s as it was hit by a
hurricane.
'Your first emotion is one of unreality, that this is not true,' he said.
'The
second feeling I had was one of being very sad for the people who had
suffered. It was apparent that people had lost their lives and there was
a huge amount of damage.
'The third feeling was that this (relief and recovery effort) is going to take time.'
When
he got back to Colombo, which was largely untouched by the tsunami, the
church hall had been turned into a warehouse for collecting donations
of emergency supplies.
Mr Purves said: 'People were bringing things, they were asking, 'What can I do?'
'The next three months we just worked every day, all day.'
Over
that time, the church community helped to take food and clean water,
medical supplies, baby milk, bedding and towels to some of the worst-hit
communities in Sri Lanka.
The
minister also lost one person he knew, a young American woman with Sri
Lankan roots who had returned to the island to share her love of the
violin with others.
Following
the tragedy, the best of humanity came to the fore, Mr Purves believes,
in the form the influx of charitable donations and support from aid
workers.
Rev John Purves presenting a new
bicycle to a fish seller in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The church minister has
recalled the life-changing moment the Boxing Day tsunami brought death
and destruction exactly 10 years ago to the island where he set up home
He said: 'There was tremendous loss of life, at least 30,000 people (in Sri Lanka) and 300,000 made homeless.
'But the positives were that everybody was in the same situation and people were very helpful towards each other.
'The
tourists who lost everything were then dependent on the local people
for shelter, food and help. It was one of those strange role reversals.
'At
the beginning of the day, the tourists were the wealthy people and the
local people were poor. By the end of the day the tourists had nothing
and it was the local people who came to their assistance.'
As
for his faith, he admits having felt 'a bit resentful' at being caught
up in a second disaster but found comfort when the kindness of others
shone through.
Mr
Purves said: 'In the immediate aftermath I perhaps wobbled a bit but
then, from past experience, knew that it was a situation in which we
could prove God's goodness.'
Rev John Purves
presenting a new fishing boat to locals in Colombo. His church hall was
turned into a warehouse for collecting donations of emergency supplies
after the wave struck
Rev Purves at a new turtle farm in
Colombo. The Scots minister found himself at the centre of relief
efforts in his community after the natural disaster struck
The
Scottish public gave £2.7 million to help survivors of the disaster
following an appeal by the Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund
(SCIAF).
Director
Alistair Dutton travelled to Sri Lanka following the tsunami to help
set up the emergency response and recently revisited the country.
He said: 'I will never forget driving into the disaster zone. Everything had been destroyed. It was very eerie.
'Bodies
were still being pulled out from the wreckage. Trees had been snapped
in half and all but the strongest buildings had been flattened.
'Survivors
wandered around, picking through the debris, searching for loved ones.
Wedding photos, clothes, personal belongings and the contents of their
homes were laid bare for all to see.
'It
was heartbreaking. The needs of the people were immediate. It was
obvious it would take years for these communities to recover.
'Scots'
generosity saved lives and gave hope to the survivors when they needed
it most. Everyone can be incredibly proud of the help they gave and the
lives they changed.
'When
I revisited to scene of the disaster earlier this month it was great to
see how survivors had moved on, recovered, and looked to the future
with hope.'
Thai children throw roses into the sea near the Ban Nam Khem tsunami memorial park wall on the 10th anniversary of the tragedy
A relative of a tsunami victim from
Australia (left) who did not want to give her name is overcome by
emotions while being comforted by a friend during a ceremony marking the
ten year anniversary of the disaster at the Mai Khao Tsunami Memorial
Wall on Phuket island
Relatives of victims of the Asian
tsunami comfort each other during a commemoration and religious ceremony
for German, Austrian and Swiss victims in Khao Lak, Thailand
Thai Buddhist monks sit next to
portraits of tsunami victims during the buddhist ceremony on the ten
year anniversary of the tsunami at the Tsunami Memorial Park at Baan Nam
Khem
In memory: Pupils and dancers from
the CWW Kannangara School mark the tenth anniversary of the tsunami that
devastated its old buildings with a special ceremony
'But this has been a completely different experience now connecting with all the other people.'
The
tsunami claimed 151 British lives, and Britain's Prime Minister David
Cameron released a statement to mark the tenth anniversary of the
tragedy.
He
praised the 'real resilience' of the communities which had since
rebuilt their lives as well as the generosity of the international
response.
He said the UK Government alone had provided almost £300million to support the reconstruction of affected areas.
'Today
we think of all those for whom Boxing Day is no longer a happy festive
celebration but the day they lost a loved one in the Indian Ocean
tsunami,' he said.
'At
this poignant time, my prayers are with all those remembering people
who were caught up in the disaster, including the 151 British nationals
who lost their lives.
'In
the face of tragedy and adversity, hundreds of thousands of people have
demonstrated real resilience to rebuild their lives and millions more
have shown extraordinary generosity to help those affected.
'So,
as we remember all those who died, we should take comfort from the
communities that are now on the mend - places like Banda Aceh where
locals say it is now more prosperous, vibrant and peaceful than before.'
The disaster was triggered by a
9.1-magnitude earthquake, the region's most powerful in 40 years, that
tore open the seabed bed off of Indonesia's Sumatran coast, displacing
billions of tons of water and sending waves roaring across the Indian
Ocean at jetliner speeds as far away as east Africa
This photograph taken by tourist Eric
Skitzi shows a tsunami wave hitting the beach of Batu Ferringhi on
Penang island, Malaysia
HOW LIFE OF YOUNG BOY TERRIFIED BY THE WATER AFTER WATCHING HIS HOME BE DESTROYED WAS REBUILT - WITH THE HELP OF MAIL READERS
On
the Sri Lankan beach where he feared his family would die in the waves
of the tsunami, Tharindu Hennadige plays cricket without a fear of the
sea lapping behind him.
As
a six year-old a decade ago he had been on the same stretch of sand
when the huge wave had picked him up, driving him 100 yards in land 20
foot above the ground until he was able to grab hold of a palm tree.
Inside
the family's single-storey beachfront home in the fishing village of
Gandara, his mother, Kamini, clung to the rafters after their roof was
ripped off and the four walls, somehow intact, filled with debris-strewn
water. His two sisters Madhushani, 25, and Madhuwanthi, 22, watched
from another roof top as all around them was destroyed.
On the Sri Lankan beach where he
feared his family would die in the waves of the tsunami, Tharindu
Hennadige plays cricket without a fear of the sea lapping behind him
Amazingly,
their fisherman father, Dayananda, had been out at sea in a friend's
boat when the wave passed under them before growing in ferocity and
size.
He witnessed his own wooden craft torn apart. 'I saw what was happening in the harbour,' he said.
'I
saw my son and other children on the beach and I saw them swept away.
There was nothing I could do. I saw the bodies, I saw what was left of
the homes and boats.'
Nine people in the village on Sri Lanka's southern tip died and 40 fishing boats – the life blood of the area – were smashed.
Although
the family had survived, their home and fishing boat were gone – and
Tharindu was so afraid of the beach and ocean he would go nowhere near
them.
Tharindu
(pictured left aged nine, and right as a 16-year-old) is now planning to
go to university – an ambition, he says, that could not have happened
with the support his family received
But
with the help of the British-based charity Save the Children and money
donated to Flood Aid by Mail readers, homes were rebuilt, boats and nets
purchased for the fishing community and troubled youngsters provided
with counselling.
'Without
boats there was no home, no way to earn money and so no future for us
but then we were helped find and buy new boats,' said Dayananda.
'For
all the fishermen I want to say 'Thank You' to those who helped, we
thank you for everything that has been done. We feel the people who have
helped are our friends – they are our friends for life.'
So
impressive was Tharindu's recovery from his fear of the water that when
the Mail visited his family three years after the tsunami, he wanted to
become a fisherman like his father.
Today
he is planning to go to university – an ambition, he says, that could
not have happened with the support his family received.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2887458/Remembering-horror-Survivors-victims-families-hold-beachside-memorial-services-mark-10th-anniversary-Boxing-Day-tsunami-killed-230-000.html#ixzz3N4OrSvSJ
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