COLOMBO, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka on Friday commemorated the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami at a memorial event, as the country observes the 21st anniversary of the devastating disaster.
The commemoration took place near the Akmeemana Kurunduwatta mass grave in the country's southern Galle district, the final resting site of around 1,800 tsunami victims whose remains could not be individually identified.
It was attended by relatives of the deceased, who observed religious rites and laid floral tributes at the memorial.
The tsunami struck Sri Lanka on Dec. 26, 2004, following a powerful undersea earthquake off the west coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia. In Sri Lanka, the tsunami caused widespread destruction along the coastline, particularly in the southern and eastern provinces. By Jan. 3, 2005, emergency authorities had confirmed more than 30,000 deaths, while approximately 1.5 million people were displaced from their homes. ■
