Asia marks 10 years since Indian Ocean tsunami
The name of a German victim is placed with flower offerings among many other victims from the Asian tsunami, in Phang Nga, Ban Nam Khem province, Thailand, Friday, Dec. 26, 2014. AP
KHAO LAK, Thailand—Beachside memorials and religious services were planned across Asia to mark 10 years since the Indian Ocean tsunami slammed into a dozen nations and killed nearly a quarter million people.
Survivors, government officials, diplomats and family members of victims will attend ceremonies Friday in Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India and elsewhere as part of the day’s solemn commemorations.
On Dec. 26, 2004, the region’s most powerful earthquake in 40 years tore open the sea bed off Indonesia’s Sumatran coast, displacing billions of tons of water and sending waves roaring across the Indian Ocean at jetliner speeds as far away as East Africa.
About 230,000 people were killed by the disaster. Many victims were never found or never identified.
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