Tsunami that came 20 years ago still scares people, know how the devastation was caused just after Christmas

The memories of the terrible tsunami that came 20 years ago in the Andaman-Nicobar Islands are still fresh in people's minds. More than 400 people lost their lives in this incident, while more than 3000 people went missing. The scene of devastation in Campbell Bay and Car Nicobar of Andaman-Nicobar was so terrible that people get scared to see the debris collected due to the destruction of schools, churches, and government institutions to date.

In the 2004 tsunami, the most devastation was caused in Nicobar district, about 535 km from Port Blair. The scene of the devastation that happened 20 years ago in Tamalu village of Car Nicobar is still visible. Every year the Nicobari tribal group gathers here in the 'Maut Ghar' and remembers their family, friends, and relatives lost in the tsunami.

The village head of Tamalu, Paul Benjamin, recalled: After the Christmas celebrations, we were gathering for prayers in the local church. We were all in a festive mood. On December 26, at about 6 am, we saw that the waves went three kilometers inland from the seashore. After this, the entire island trembled due to the tremendous earthquakes that followed. We had never seen the anger of nature. There was no warning system for this and within a few minutes, we saw the giant waves of the sea coming towards us. After this, we tried to save our lives by running to the hilly areas.

He said after the tsunami, everywhere an atmosphere of chaos was seen. People looked for safe places, he said. Buildings collapsed just like a pack of cards. Some people fainted because of the severe tremors of the earthquake. I took out my wife from the kitchen, and all of us went to the forests of the hilly area for shelter. People were asking for rations here so that they could feed their children. We did not have anything to eat. Whatever rations we had, we left for the children and the patients. Everybody else had to live off coconut water.

On the other hand, Prahlad Singh, Gram Panchayat Pradhan of Laxmi Nagar in Campbell Bay, said, "I lost some of my close friends in the tsunami. I was standing outside my house when I felt strong tremors. There was a forest in front of our house and we could not see the sea. Then, I climbed a coconut tree and saw that huge waves were moving rapidly towards our island."

According to government figures, 269 people died in Car Nicobar, 274 km from Port Blair, due to the tsunami, while 583 people went missing. Apart from this, 54 died and six were missing on Teresa Island. 41 people died and 17 were missing in Chaura, 20 died and 520 were missing in Campbell Bay. Apart from this, the highest number of people missing was 1635 on Kachal Island in the Nicobal district. The death toll here was only one. Apart from this, 295 and 75 people were missing in Kamorta and Trinket Islands respectively. One person each died here too.