Sri Lanka yesterday commemorated the 20th anniversary of the devastating 2004 tsunami, a tragedy that claimed over 35,000 lives and caused widespread destruction. It was one of the deadliest natural disasters faced in history,

Sri Lanka commemorated the deaths of thousands of victims in 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami by observing two-minute silence and religious observation across the country.

Twenty years after the devastating earthquake and tsunami that claimed over 230,000 lives across the Indian Ocean region, thousands gathered in the capital of Indonesia's Aceh province on Thursday to commemorate the tragedy.