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BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (AP) — One man in Indonesia says for years, he refused to believe that his wife and children had died in the tsunami that struck ten years ago today. But finally, he said, he gave up looking for them.
He was among thousands of people taking part today in a prayer service to mark the anniversary of the tsunami, which left nearly a quarter of a million people dead in a dozen countries around the Indian Ocean rim.
The resident of Banda Aceh (BAHN'-duh AH'-cheh), Indonesia, says he can't forget the smell of the air and the water after the tsunami, set off by a powerful earthquake, wiped away coastal communities.
Indonesia's vice president led a prayer ceremony in Banda Aceh. He and other officials placed flowers at a mass grave where thousands of unknown tsunami victims were buried. More than 170,000 people died in Indonesia alone.
At beachside memorials and religious services across Asia today, survivors cried and prayed. More than 100 survivors of the tsunami along with bereaved relatives from Germany, Austria and Switzerland held a memorial service on a beach in Thailand. They walked into the waves and placed flowers in the warm Andaman Sea, while diplomats put wreaths on the sand.
%@AP Links
084-r-15-(Sound of mourners crying for their lost loved ones in the 2004 Asian tsunami, at the local cemetery in Manacudi, in Kanyakumari district)--Sound of mourners crying for the loved ones they lost in the 2004 Asian tsunami at a local cemetery. (26 Dec 2014)
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083-r-05-(Sound of mourners chanting, at the local cemetery in Manacudi, in Kanyakumari district)--Sound of mourners chanting for their lost relatives at a local cemetery. (26 Dec 2014)
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034-a-12-(Jillian Searle, tsunami survivor and mother of two, in interview)-"he was dead"-Tsunami survivor Jillian Searle, who saw an approaching wave and decided to let go of her oldest son so she could save her youngest, says she saw a woman trying to her oldest child. COURTESY: Sky News ((mandatory on-air credit)) (26 Dec 2014)
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APPHOTO XWM130: A couple embrace during a commemoration ceremony for the Swedish victims of the Asian tsunami, Friday, Dec. 26, 2014 in Khao Lak, Thailand. Dec. 26 marks the 10th anniversary of one of the deadliest natural disasters in world history: a tsunami, triggered by a massive earthquake off the Indonesian coast, that left more than 230,000 people dead in 14 countries and caused about $10 billion in damage. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E) (26 Dec 2014)
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APPHOTO XWM128: Thai schoolgirls hold candles as they observe a moment of silence for victims of the Asian tsunami during a commemoration service to mark the 10th anniversary of the day this natural disaster, Friday, Dec. 26, 2014 in Ban Nam Khem, Thailand. Dec. 26 marks the 10th anniversary of one of the deadliest natural disasters in world history: a tsunami, triggered by a massive earthquake off the Indonesian coast, that left more than 230,000 people dead in 14 countries and caused about $10 billion in damage. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E) (26 Dec 2014)
<<APPHOTO XWM128 (12/26/14)££
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