Tomorrow (Dec. 26) marks the 21st anniversary of the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami, one of the world’s deadliest and most destructive natural disasters, which impacted over 10 countries in the Indian Ocean.
Sri Lanka will observe a two-minute silence island-wide tomorrow (26) from 9.25 a.m. to 9.27 a.m. to mark National Safety Day, in memory of those who lost their lives in the 2004 tsunami and other natural disasters, the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) announced.
The national-level memorial ceremony is scheduled to take place tomorrow morning in front of the Peraliya Tsunami Memorial Statue in Galle.
According to the DMC, this year’s observances will pay tribute not only to the victims of the 2004 tsunami but also to those who have perished in other natural disasters across the country. In addition, a series of multi-religious programs have been organized at the district level.
On 26 December 2004, a powerful undersea megathrust earthquake measuring 9.1 on the Richter scale struck off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia.
About 20 minutes after the shock, Indonesia’s capital Banda Aceh, which was closest to the epicentre of the earthquake, was devastated by massive 100-foot waves, claiming the lives of more than 100,000.
A series of turbulent waves then ravaged the coasts of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, Maldives, Myanmar and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
In all, deaths from the disaster mounted over 230,000 in a matter of hours.
Sri Lanka was one of the hardest-hit countries with over 40,000 fatalities and property damage worth several million rupees. Thousands were left homeless as waves pushed debris several kilometres inland, pounding buildings into rubble.
Since 2005, the 26th of December has been declared as “National Safety Day” and on that day commemoration events are held as a continuous national event each year, with the participation of the political leadership in remembrance of all those who lost their lives in the country due to the various natural disasters including the tsunami disaster.
