Asia commemorates the 2004 tsunami which caused more than 220,000 deaths

On December 26, 2004, a magnitude 9.1 earthquake off the west coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra caused enormous waves that swept over several countries in the Indian Ocean.

Mourning and tearful people pray on Thursday, December 26, during ceremonies organized in several Asian countries to mark the 20th anniversary of the deadliest tsunami in history. On December 26, 2004, a magnitude 9.1 earthquake off the west coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra caused huge waves that swept across Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand and nine other countries in the Indian Ocean, with victims as far away as Somalia. At their maximum speed, the surges traveled at nearly 800 km/h and reached heights of up to 30 meters. In total, 226,408 people died the day after Christmas.

In the Indonesian province of Aceh, where more than 100,000 people were killed, the Baiturrahman Grand Mosque kicked off a series of commemorations across the Asian continent, with a three-minute-long siren at the exact time of the disaster, followed by prayers. In Thailand, where half of the more than 5,000 dead were foreign tourists, commemorations began early in Ban Nam Khem, the country's worst-hit village. In Sri Lanka, where more than 35,000 people have died, relatives of victims and survivors must board the Ocean Queen Express train towards Peraliya, where wagons had been swept away.