Asia marks tsunami anniversary
Wednesday, 26 Dec 2007 08:52
Ceremonies in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand have taken place on the third anniversary of the tsunami
South-east
Asian countries devastated by the Boxing Day tsunami three years ago have held ceremonies to mark the anniversary of the event.
The natural disaster destroyed large parts of Indonesia's Aceh province, and wreaked havoc in southern Thailand, Sri Lanka and India. Over 200,000 people were killed by the ocean wave which was caused by a magnitude 9 undersea earthquake off Indonesia's island of Sumatra.
Authorities rehearsed a drill in Indonesia on the anniversary with thousands of residents moving to higher ground in response to an alarm.
The country's president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was present at the event which aimed to remind locals of the constant danger of earthquakes in the area. Indonesia lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire – a part of the Earth that is especially vulnerable to earthquakes
The country's head of state was also informed about efforts to expand on an early warning system put in place after the tsunami.
Services and minute-long silences were held in Thailand and Sri Lanka to remember those who lost their lives to the tsunami.
Elsewhere in Indonesia today, torrential rains in the Central Java province triggered landslides that have claimed the lives of at least 24 people. Fifty others are reported missing after currents washed away villages and damaged homes.
A local government official working on the relief effort told the Reuters news agency that the landslides had taken the administration by surprise. He added that the landslides had made it difficult for aid to reach the area.
"This is the first time in the last 25 years anything of this scale occurred here in Central Java," he said.