Thailand marks 21st anniversary of devastating Indian Ocean tsunami

PHUKET, Dec 26 (TNA) - Southern Thailand marked the 21st anniversary of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami on Friday with multi-religious services across Phuket, Phang Nga, and Krabi.

At Phuket’s Mai Khao Cemetery, families of victims from 43 nations gathered to lay flowers and perform Buddhist, Christian, and Islamic rites. 

In Phang Nga’s Ban Nam Khem, residents and tourists held a minute of silence and offered food and photographs to honor those lost at the province's primary memorial site. 

Meanwhile, on Krabi’s Koh Phi Phi, divers carried memorial wreaths to an underwater monument in Ton Sai Bay following a simple seaside ceremony. 

Although the coastal regions have been fully restored, officials emphasized that these monuments remain permanent reminders of the catastrophe. 

Triggered by a 9.1-magnitude earthquake, the 2004 tsunami devastated Thailand's Andaman coast, leaving about 5,400 dead, about 8,000 others injured, and thousands missing across six provinces. - 819 (TNA)