Crying onlookers took part in beachside memorials and religious services across Asia to mark the 10th anniversary of the Indian Ocean tsunami that left more than a quarter million people dead in one of modern history's worst natural disasters. The devastating December 26, 2004, tsunami struck a dozen countries around the Indian Ocean rim, killing 230,000 people. It eradicated entire coastal communities, decimated families and crashed over tourist-filled beaches the morning after Christmas. Survivors waded through a horror show of corpse-filled waters.
Above, relatives of victims of the Asian tsunami stand in the sea, some comforting each other, some reflecting quietly, while others threw out white roses during a commemoration and religious ceremony for German, Austrian and Swiss victims in Khao Lak, Thailand.
Picture: EPA/NARONG SANGNAK