MOSCOW, December 26 (Sputnik) — As the 10th anniversary of the notorious 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami approaches, people crowded streets of Asia’ cities to commemorate victims of the natural disaster that occurred the day after Christmas, AP reports.
The news agency asked journalists who covered the disaster and witnessed the overall devastation to share their memories and impressions of the catastrophe.
“I stared out the window at the vast stretch of beach. This normally dreamy beach of white sand and saggy coconut trees was lined with colored debris and wreckage as far as my eyes could see. Such a colorful mess, I thought”, Vejpongsa said. Only later, when she approached further, did she realized that “the mess” was “bodies of tourists, wrapped in the festive colors anyone might wear to a beach holiday”.
The level of devastation also shocked Wally Santana, after he arrived in the tsunami-hit Sri-Lanka. He saw that people had nothing to eat, children were crying from starvation and felt terrible that he had nothing to offer them.
Dita Alangkara, a photographer based in Jakarta, Indonesia, was horrified when she took a small plane up to view the wreckage along the coast.
“Almost no buildings were spared from the killer waves. Dead bodies littered the street, stuck on tall trees. Some were eaten by dogs. It was so depressing,” she shared her impressions. “The image that stuck with me most was the mass grave”, she added.
The disastrous tsunami occurred on December 26, 2004. It hit a dozen countries bordering the Indian Ocean and claimed lives of 230,000 people. It destroyed numerous villages, wiped out whole communities and killed thousands of tourists who came to Asia to spend their Christmas vacation.
