Colombo (dpa) - Sri Lanka conducted religious ceremonies to mark Tuesday's second anniversary of the tsunami that claimed more than 40,000 lives in the country as people who lost loved ones gathered at the seaside to remember those who perished.

The nation observed two minutes of silence to remember those killed in the tsunami as well as other natural disasters and the country's conflict with minority Tamil separatist rebels.

The main national ceremony was held in the southern port city of Galle, 117 kilometres south of Colombo and one of the hardest-hit towns in Sri Lanka in the December 26, 2004, tragedy, which left 226,000 people dead or missing in 12 Indian Ocean countries.

Similar events were held in other coastal areas hit by the tragedy, which displaced more than a half-million people in Sri Lanka alone.

Families held individual ceremonies where they believed their loved ones perished or where they believed they were buried in mass graves. Alms were offered to the poor and religious persons to bring merit to the tsunami victims.

Almost two-thirds of Sri Lanka's coastal areas were hit by the tragedy with 114,000 houses being damaged or destroyed, more than 3,000 hotels being damaged or destroyed, and roads and other infrastructure being damaged.

Two years after the disaster, 63,000 replacement houses have been built while nearly 48,000 houses are being completed.

The tragedy was the biggest natural disaster Sri Lanka had experienced, and people affected continue to struggle to recover from the trauma. // © 2006 DPA


Publication date: 26 December 2006   

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