Sri Lanka held a memorial event to honour victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, which killed thousands in the country and over 230,000 across 14 nations
COLOMBO: Sri Lanka commemorated the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami on Friday, marking the 21st anniversary of the devastating disaster.
A memorial event was held near the Akmeemana Kurunduwatta mass grave in the southern Galle district.
The site is the final resting place for approximately 1,800 tsunami victims whose remains could not be individually identified.
Relatives of the deceased attended the ceremony, observing religious rites and laying floral tributes.
The tsunami struck Sri Lanka on December 26, 2004, following a powerful undersea earthquake off the coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia.
It caused widespread destruction along the country’s coastline, particularly in the southern and eastern provinces.
The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami killed an estimated 230,000 people across more than 14 countries.
It remains one of history’s deadliest natural disasters.
