#tsunami

#tsunami

The earthquake took place at approximately 12:37pm local time with the epicenter situated some 54 miles south of the island town of Sand Point.

Masahiro Osada reminisced about the community's losses after the tsunami, pointing out where his restaurant was and recalling the devastation in Rikuzentakata.

Many wept as they placed flowers at a mass grave in Ulee Lheue village, where more than 14,000 unidentified tsunami victims are buried. It is one of several mass graves in Banda Aceh, the capital of Indonesia's northernmost province, which was one of the areas worst hit by a magnitude 9.1 earthquake and the massive tsunami it triggered.

"On a Sunday morning, when our family were all laughing together, suddenly disaster struck and everything was gone. I can't describe it with words." - Hasnawati, reflecting on the tragedy that obliterated families and communities.

A magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck near Vanuatu, triggering small tsunami waves that prompted a brief tsunami alert, but the threat was later dismissed.