Sri Lanka Commemorates 21st Anniversary of 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami

Sri Lanka on Friday commemorated the 21st anniversary of the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004, which killed over 35,000 people in the island nation. The national ceremony was marked by a two-minute silence observed across the island between 9.25 am and 9.27 am, coinciding with the time the giant waves struck the country’s coastline on December 26, 2004.

The main commemoration took place at Peraliya, about 90 km south of Colombo, the site of the worst rail disaster in Sri Lanka’s history, where over 1,000 people were killed when the tsunami hit a passenger train.The Ocean Queen train, travelling from Colombo central station to the southern city of Matara, was hit by massive sea waves of over 1,000 feet that swept across the tracks, toppling several carriages.

While hundreds of bodies were recovered, 141 passengers remain unaccounted for. In a tribute, the train halted at Peraliya at 9:26 am, as it does every year, in remembrance of the passengers and residents who had climbed onto the train seeking refuge from the rising waters. “Janaka Fernando, the engine driver, died along with his assistant. We remember them with deep sorrow,” RM Wijesuriya, who piloted the memorial run on Friday, told reporters.

Oil lamps were lit and prayers offered at the site to honour the victims. The tsunami was triggered by a massive 9.1-magnitude earthquake off Indonesia’s Sumatra island, affecting several countries across the region. This year’s commemoration comes amid lingering grief from another natural disaster, Cyclone Ditwah, which struck Sri Lanka late last month, killing nearly 700 people and leaving hundreds missing as authorities continue to assess the damage.