Mourners Remember Boxing Day Tsunami Victims

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 27 Desember 2014 | 16.15

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Survivors and families of victims have gathered across Asia for memorials to mark 10 years since the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami.

Around 230,000 people died after a 9.1-magnitude earthquake off Indonesia's western coast triggered a series of huge waves in the Indian Ocean.

The rising waters caused devastation across the region, striking countries as far apart as Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Somalia.

The wave swept the whole of the Indian Ocean's shoreline, also hitting the coasts of India, Myanmar, Malaysia, the Maldives and Bangladesh.

Around six hours after the start of the disaster the coasts of east Africa - Somalia, Tanzania, Kenya - were struck by the wave.

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Gallery: Sri Lanka Marks 10th Anniversary of Indian Ocean Tsunami

Tsunami survivors offer flowers as they pray at a graveyard to commemorate the victims of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami on December 26, 2014 in Peraliya, Sri Lanka

A Sri Lankan local dancer stands in a graveyard in Peraliya commemorating victims

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Sri Lankan Buddhist monks attend the Alms Giving Ceremony for remembrance and prayer for the victims

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A young Buddhist monk prays for the victims at the Alms Ceremony

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Sri Lanka was one of the worst hit countries of the 9.1 magnitude quake with around 35,000 deaths

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The tsunami caused widespread destruction to many coastal communities.

Thousands of foreign holiday-makers were also killed.

The vast majority of Indonesia's 170,000 victims perished in Aceh province, among them tens of thousands of children.

Some 7,000 mourners gathered on Christmas Day in Banda Aceh for the first of several memorials.

Aceh governor Zaini Abdullah led the event at the Baiturrahman Grand Mosque.

He thanked Indonesians and the international community for their support in the aftermath of the tsunami, which he said had helped the area recover.

Teuku Ahmad Salman, who joined thousands at the service, said: "I cannot forget the smell of the air, the water at that time ... even after 10 years."

Indonesia's Vice President, Jusuf Kalla, led a prayer ceremony where he and other officials placed flowers at a mass grave where thousands of unknown victims were buried.

In a statement released to mark the anniversary, Prime Minister David Cameron praised the "real resilience" of those who have rebuilt their lives.

He said the UK Government had provided almost £300m to support the reconstruction of affected areas.

Some 151 British nationals killed in the tsunami.

"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."

More than 100 survivors, along with bereaved relatives, held a memorial service on a beach in Khao Lak, Thailand.

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Gallery: Photos Taken In Indonesia After The Tsunami

Indonesian rescue workers remove a body from the fence of the Grand Mosque in the city of Banda Aceh

Refugees cover their noses from the stench of bodies

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They walked into the waves and laid flowers in the sea, while diplomats placed wreaths on the sand.

Crowds also gathered and laid wreaths at the country's tsunami memorial park in Ban Nam Khem, a southern fishing village which was decimated.

More than 5,000 people were killed in Thailand, about half of them tourists.

In Indonesia, staff members at the German, Austrian and Swiss embassies held a minute's silence to remember the victims.

In Sri Lanka, the water swept a train from its tracks, killing almost 2,000 people.

The train, including five of the original carriages, decorated with Buddhist flags, symbolically recreated the journey, carrying survivors who mourned the dead and missing.

:: A special documentary, Tsunami: Ten Years After The Wave, can be seen on the Sky News Catch Up service.

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Written By Unknown on Jumat, 26 Desember 2014 | 16.15

Many survivors of the Boxing Day tsunami of 2004 have spent the last decade struggling to deal with grief and trauma, but some chose to channel it into helping others.

In a new documentary to be shown on Sky One this evening, Sky News has spoken to survivors who have set up charities in memory of some of the 230,000 people who died.

Kim and Tristan Peatfield were staying on the south coast of Sri Lanka, in Tangalle, with their five-year-old daughter Isabella when the tsunami hit their hotel bungalow.

Tristan was washed away and Kim was left holding Isabella.

"I think I must have been knocked out and I guess that's when I let her go - because I don't remember letting her go. I would never, never have let her go," she said.

Isabella was later found dead.

Despite their grief, the couple returned to Sri Lanka a few weeks after Isabella's funeral and set up a charity in her name to help Sri Lankan children.

"Anybody who was there would know children there lost everything, they didn't just lose a sibling or a parent or grandparents or a roof over their head - they lost everything," Kim said.

The charity is still going ten years later. In that time they have helped to rebuild Tangalle Children's Hospital and built 10 playgrounds, among other projects.

"It came out of love, not wanting to let her die, and that's what sustained us, that's what keeps the charity going," the Peatfields said.

Luke Simon works full-time on the charity that he set up after the Boxing Day tragedy.

When the wave hit he was staying with his brother Piers and three friends on the island of Phi Phi in southern Thailand.

Phi Phi was hit from both sides simultaneously - and the thin strip of land in between was engulfed.

"The sea beyond was just boiling up in front of me," Luke said.

"The tsunami turned Phi Phi into canals - the little alleyways became two and a half metres of water filled with debris - a lot of people who lost their lives, they didn't drown, they were just hit by debris."

Piers was trapped under the water as he tried to push another friend to safety. It took five days for Luke to find his body.

Luke launched the charity - the Piers Simon Appeal - at his brother's memorial service and two weeks after the tsunami he was back in Phi Phi with £10,000 to help local people.

"The charity really came about because we had received so much goodness from Thai people who helped me to find Piers," he said.

Ten years on, and the charity has now become School In A Bag, which sends schoolbags to children affected by the disaster.

"It was born out of a natural disaster - the sad circumstances of losing my brother. I always wanted to be able to help disaster-affected children, mainly because of the experience that I had picked up in the tsunami," Luke said.

"I still feel like Piers is with me now - I feel as though he's tagging along with me, except he's the reason we are doing it."

:: A special documentary Tsunami: Ten Years After The Wave can be seen on the Sky News Catch Up service.

:: If you have been affected by any of the issues in the show, the following helplines can offer help and support:

Samaritans - anyone struggling to cope can talk to Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90.

Mind - for mental health issues, including post-traumatic stress, call the confidential information and support line on 0300 123 3393 (charged as a local rate call) open from 9am - 6pm Monday - Friday.

Cruse Bereavement Care - promotes the well-being of bereaved people and enables people to understand grief and cope with their loss - national helpline on 08444 779 400.

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