On Dec. 26, 2004, a 9.1 magnitude earthquake struck off the west coast of Sumatra, causing a massive wave that devastated Asian coastal communities across thousands of miles.
Some 230,000 people died as the tsunami leveled remote villages, ports and tourist resorts in Indonesia, Thailand, India and Sri Lanka, among other countries.
Ahead of the 20th anniversary of a disaster that’s still vividly remembered in the region, here’s a look back at the aftermath. In these photos, a resident of a fishing village in India’s Tamil Nadu state contemplates the remains of her house as fires continue to burn in her village. In Thailand, dozens of bodies are lined up at a Buddhist temple, and a young Swedish boy carries a sign listing family members he hasn’t seen since they were swept out to sea from their beachfront hotel.
In Sri Lanka, villagers search for the dead among derailed train cars, lighting fires to cremate those they find. And in Aceh, Indonesia, the worst-hit area nearest the quake’s epicenter, people search for survivors and food in towns that have been largely reduced to rubble.
Today, many coastal communities have rebuilt, and new early warning systems are in place that could give people time to get to shelter. But the true toll of these events will never be known for certain.
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