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Asian countries on Thursday commemorated more than 220,000 people who were killed two decades ago when a tsunami devastated coastal areas across the Indian Ocean, in one of the worst natural disasters in modern history.
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On December 26, 2004, a magnitude 9.1 earthquake off Indonesia caused a series of massive waves that hit the coasts of 14 countries from Indonesia to Somalia.
Indonesia suffered the highest death toll, with more than 160,000 people killed along its west coast, and thousands also died in Sri Lanka, India and Thailand.
In the Indonesian province of Aceh, where more than 100,000 people were killed, sirens sounded for three minutes in the Great Baitur Rahman Mosque at the same time the disaster occurred, followed by prayers in the mosque and a visit to the mass graves of the victims.
Religious ceremonies and honors are scheduled to take place, some on beaches in Sri Lanka, India and Thailand, which are among the worst-hit countries.
Among the victims of the waves, which reached a height of 30 meters, were many foreign tourists who were celebrating Christmas on the beaches of the region, which brought the tragedy to homes around the world.
The total death toll from the tsunami reached 226,408 people, according to the World Disaster Database.
No warning of an imminent tsunami was issued after the earthquake, which gave people a short period of time to evacuate, although there were hours between the waves that hit the coasts of the different continents.
In Sri Lanka, Islamic, Christian, Buddhist and Hindu celebrations will be held to commemorate the more than 35,000 people who died there.
In Thailand, where half of the more than five thousand dead were foreign tourists, an informal candlelight vigil is expected to accompany a memorial ceremony organized by the government.