Offering milk and flowers in the sea along Tamil Nadu’s long coastline on Thursday, silent processions and prayers marked 20 years since the massive tsunami hit the state on December 26, 2004.
People from all walks of life joined fishermen and tsunami survivors in paying tearful tributes. Since dawn, people have visited mass burial sites and said silent prayers in memory of the lives claimed by the massive tidal wave.
In Chennai, Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi along with fishermen and families who lost their relatives in the devastating tsunami participated in the Tsunami Remembrance Day march at Marina Beach here. He paid tribute to the memory of those who lost their precious lives in this catastrophic tragedy, the Raj Bhavan said.
In the tsunami that occurred after the earthquake under the Indian Ocean near the island of Sumatra in Indonesia, 6 thousand 65 people died in Nagapattinam district alone, while the giant wave swallowed about 7 thousand 993 people in the state.
Around 50 town panchayats in six coastal districts of the state namely Kanchipuram, Villupuram, Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Kanyakumari and Thoothukudi have been affected due to the wave outbreak. The affected Nagar Panchayats were classified as worst damaged and partially damaged based on the severity of the disaster and 19 out of 50 Nagar Panchayats were declared worst hit as the loss of life was heavy, an official said.
A quiet Sunday after Christmas turned into a nightmare for hundreds of families in coastal districts from Cuddalore to Kanyakumari. Huge waves claimed human lives and destroyed settlements and infrastructure.
People in Nagapattinam, Cuddalore and Kanyakumari districts also gathered in large numbers and paid tributes at the memorial. At Thoothukudi people offered milk and flowers by lighting candles in the sea.
In Nagore, residents paid their respects and lit candles at a mass grave on the dargah grounds.
People from 28 fishing villages in Pichavaram and Myladuthurai also paid tributes to the memorial day.
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