Maldives observes minute of silence in remembrance of devastating 2004 tsunami

The employees of all government offices, institutions and companies in the Maldivian capital observed a minute of silence on Thursday, in remembrance of the devastating 2004 tsunami that killed over 80 Maldivian citizens.

A massive undersea earthquake off the western coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia, unleashed a series of colossal tsunamis on December 26, 2004, that devastated communities along the surrounding coasts of the Indian Ocean, and killed an estimated 227,898 people in 14 countries.

In the Maldives, the tsunami killed an estimated 108 people – making it the deadliest disaster in the country’s history.

The day is marked in the Maldives as the National Unity Day.

At 09:23 am – which is recorded as the time the first wave hit the Maldives - government employees formed lines outside their office buildings, and observed a minute of silence.

President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, Vice President Hussain Mohamed Latheef, along with members of his cabinet and other top government officials, marked the minute of silence in the area to the south of the President’s office where the Huravee Building once stood.

The 2004 tsunami is in one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history.

In Maldives, the tsunami wreaked havoc on multiple islands, especially those in outlying low-level atolls.

82 people were confirmed to be killed - 43 males and 38 females, and 26 more – nine females and one male - were reported missing and presumed dead.

It also displaced over 15,000 people, as the tsunami destroyed 39 out of 200 inhabited islands.

The disaster resulted in an estimated USD 460 million in damages.