2004 tsunami victims remembered on 16th anniversary

Chennai: Victims of the tsunami, that wreaked havoc in 2004, were remembered by people in coastal Tamil Nadu and neighbouring Puducherry on Saturday on the 16th anniversary of the disaster.

Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar and Chief Minister V Narayanasamy led the events to pay homage to those killed in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry respectively.

Jayakumar lit candles at Kasimedu fishing harbour area here and took a boat to the sea and showered flowers over seawater. Narayanasamy visited the beachfront and poured milk in front of a sand statue that symbolised the victims and scattered flowers at that spot.

Across Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, fishermen associations and families of victims paid tributes to those who lost their lives by pouring milk and tossing flowers at beaches.

Pouring milk and showering flowers is part of the tradition to show one’s love and respect for the departed.

On December 26, 2004, tsunami, a series of giant waves hit Tamil Nadu and Puducherry’s Karikal in which at least 7,000 people were killed.