On December 26, 2004, a 9.1-magnitude earthquake off Indonesia's western coast of Sumatra generated a series of massive waves that pummeled the coastlines of 14 countries from Indonesia to Somalia.

About 1.7 million people were displaced, mainly in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand. The disaster claimed the lives of about 226,000 people.

Indonesia bore the heaviest toll, with 170,000 fatalities—127,000 of them in Aceh province, the area closest to the earthquake’s epicenter. 

Crowds gathered in the westernmost province of Aceh to observe a minute of silence and visit mass graves, and participated in a communal prayer in the provincial capital of Banda Aceh.

Governor Safrizal Zakaria Ali recalled the terrifying moment of the tsunami, “On that day, the world saw how a disaster could happen and instantly change the lives of millions of people.”

“We lost our loved ones, fathers, mothers, children, brothers, sisters, relatives, and friends. Thousands of children lost their parents, thousands of parents lost their children. Villages disappeared. Cities were devastated and life seemed to stop,” the Governor added.

Since the disaster, Aceh has received financial assistance from domestic and international donors and has largely recovered. Aceh's infrastructure has been rebuilt and is now more resilient than before the tsunami.