10 years on, memorial services across Asia mark catastrophic Indian Ocean Tsunami
Memorials to 220,000 victims of 2004 tsunami held across 14 nations around the Indian Ocean
Tearful memorials were held in tsunami-hit nations yesterday for the more than 220,000 people who died 10 years ago when giant waves decimated coastal areas along the Indian Ocean in one of the world's worst natural disasters on record.
A 9.1-magnitude earthquake off Indonesia's western tip on Boxing Day 2004 generated a series of massive waves that hit the coastline of 14 countries as far apart as Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Somalia.
Among the victims were thousands of foreign tourists enjoying Christmas on beaches across the region - carrying the tragedy of an unprecedented natural disaster into homes around the globe.
In southern Thailand, where half the 5,300 dead were holidaymakers, people recounted stories of horror and miraculous survival as the churning debris-laden waters swept in without warning, obliterating resorts and villages.
As dusk loomed, hundreds gathered for a candlelit memorial on Khao Lak, much of which was washed away by towering waves.
Swiss national, Katia Paulo, 45, lost her boyfriend on a nearby beach. "I had my back to the ocean," she said. "My boyfriend called me ... the only thing I remember is his face.
"I knew I had to run, then the wave caught me. I was pushed under water many times and thought it was the end."