Banda Aceh, Indonesia, 20 years later

December 26, 2024 10:23 AM

Indonesia's Banda Aceh marks 20 years since Indian Ocean tsunami 20 years ago today, a massive 9.2 quake struck the Northern tip of Indonesia.

A horrific mega-tsunami was triggered, impacting much of the Indian Ocean basin, killing over 200,000 people across 14 countries.

Today survivors gather to mourn lost loved ones and remember the devastation.

posted by supermedusa (3 comments total)

The beautiful Baiturrahman Grand Mosque of Banda Aceh, which is several centuries old, survived the tsunami and housed displaced people afterwards.

The Sumatran province of Aceh is majority Muslim. The Islamic view of the tsunami and its consequences is nicely captured in the BBC article on the anniversary:

'The largest of the city's mass graves is Siron Tsunami Memorial Park where 46,718 unidentified bodies are buried. On a commemorative sculpture of advancing waves, an inscription in Arabic reads, "Be, and it is".

"It refers to the power of God's will," says local guide Mahlizar (Acehnese people traditionally only use a first name). "Everything is decided by Allah. Whether someone was drowned, washed out to sea, never found or never named, we must accept and respect his decision, even if we don't understand the reason why."'
posted by rabia.elizabeth at 10:59 AM on December 26 [3 favorites]

This question on Ask has some great answers with links to additional sources about the science behind these mega-quakes and the tsunamis they often generate. (it's a rabbit hole, you have been warned!)
posted by supermedusa at 11:51 AM on December 26 [4 favorites]

I can recommend Sonali Deraniyagala's memoir (she lost her two sons, her husband, and her parents in the disaster) entitled Wave.
posted by jokeefe at 5:04 PM on December 27 [1 favorite]