Women paying respects to those who died in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami during a ceremony at the Pattinapakkam beach in Chennai on Dec 26.
Across Tamil Nadu, several memorial events were held.
The massive tsunami on Dec 26, 2004 – triggered by an undersea earthquake in Indonesia – generated giant waves which struck the southern coast of India.
Tami Nadu’s Cuddalore and Nagapattinam districts bore the brunt, as nearly 7,000 people were killed in the state.
People in 64 fishing hamlets in Nagapattinam and Karaikal observed the 20th anniversary by taking out candle processions and paying floral tributes.
Fishermen stayed off the sea in many places.
