When the sea rose: Remembering the 2004 tsunami two decades later

The ineffaceable scars of the tragic loss of their close blood relations still haunt the survivors 20 years after the tsunami struck on the fateful morning of December 26.

In this photo dated Dec. 26, 2004, an aerial view of the Marina beach following the massive earthquake in Indonesia triggering tsunami waves and flooding parts of coastal India, in Chennai. FILE | PTI

On December 26, 2004, a powerful 9.1-magnitude earthquake, off the coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra, triggered a tsunami that killed around 2,30,000 people across a dozen countries, including India.

The calm Sunday following Christmas turned into a nightmare for hundreds of families across Tamil Nadu’s coastal districts, from Cuddalore to Kanyakumari, as well as parts of Coastal Andhra Pradesh and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The huge waves ravaged habitations, infrastructure and claimed several lives.

In this photo dated Dec. 30, 2004, these women, rendered homeless by the killer tsunami waves, are a picture of dejection and desolation at a village in Nagapattinam district, Tamil Nadu.

In this photo dated Dec. 30, 2004, damaged fishing trawlers lie in abandoned condition in a fishing jetty after the devastating tsunami waves struck at Akkaraipettai village, in Nagapattinam district, Tamil Nadu.

In this photo dated Dec. 30, 2004, the bodies of tsunami victims are stored inside the Government Hospital in Nagapattinam.

In this photo dated Dec. 30, 2004, a tsunami victim cries on seeing her damaged house, at a fishermen's colony in Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu.

In this photo dated Dec. 31, 2004, survivors search among the debris for their belongings, which were swept away by the tsunami tidal waves, at Devanampattinam village, in Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu.

In this photo dated Dec. 30, 2004, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Cabinet colleagues listen to a woman's woes at a relief camp for tsunami victims, at Colachel in Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu.

In this photo dated Dec. 26, 2004, a bird's-eye view of Marina Beach and the Anna Square in Chennai as the rising waters begin to engulf the region following the tsunami.

In this photo dated Dec. 26, 2004, water engulfs the entire coastline of Chennai's Marina Beach, sweeping away people, shops, and vehicles after a massive tsunami wave strikes the area.

In this photo dated Dec. 26, 2004, then-Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa visits tsunami-affected areas in Chennai.

In this photo dated Dec. 26, 2004, debris covers the coastline in Srinivasapuram, Chennai, following the devastation caused by the tsunami.

In this photo dated Dec. 31, 2004, Hadoos port in Andaman Island is a picture of wreckage and destruction after it was hit by tsunami.

In this photo dated Dec. 30, 2004, a tilted ATC tower at the IAF airbase, Car Nicobar when the island was hit by tsunami waves.

In this photo dated Dec. 30, 2004, a fisherman's family watches sea waves at the shore after their livelihood got swept away by tsunami, in Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu.