Christmas in 2004, a 9.1 magnitude earthquake under the Indian Ocean triggered tsunami waves that killed some 230,000 people across a dozen countries.

Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Maldives, and Thailand sustained the brunt of the damage. Indonesian officials estimated that the death toll there alone ultimately exceeded 200,000, particularly in north

Survivors and mourners gathered at mass graves in Indonesia, Thailand and other places along the Indian Ocean that were devastated by the 2004 tsunami — the deadliest in the world.