BANDA ACEH - Ulee Lheue Mass Grave in Banda Aceh where the 2004 tsunami victims were buried, was again crowded with pilgrims on Eid al-Fitr 1446 Hijriah.
One of the pilgrims, Ibhul in Banda Aceh, admitted that he always visited mass graves where Acehnese tsunami victims were buried every year on big days such as Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha to pray for his parents who were martyred.
"Every year or two I come to send Al Fatihah and Yasin to both parents who have died during the tsunami incident," he said as quoted by ANTARA, Monday, March 31.
He said this pilgrimage was his way of remembering and praying for his parents, even though the tragedy of the 9.2 magnitude earthquake and the tsunami that hit Banda Aceh on December 26, 2004 had passed 21 years.
"At the time of the incident I was 13 and now I am 34 years old. I still really miss them, especially since I am an only child. Usually I pray at home, because I don't know where the grave is. But, because today is a sacred momentum, I came here," he said.
Another pilgrimage, Darma, also said that he always made a pilgrimage to Ulee Lheue's mass grave every Lebaran after performing Eid prayers to pray for his brother who was the victim of the tsunami.
"There are mothers, fathers, brothers, and sisters, as well as other brothers and sisters who I pray for here," he said.
Darma explained that his family, who were no longer in Kajhu, Aceh Besar, when the disaster occurred. Because their bodies were not found, he suspected that they were buried in Ulee Lheue's mass grave.
"Their body was not found in the Kajhu area, so most likely they were buried here," he said.
SEE ALSO:
The Aceh earthquake and tsunami disaster in 2004 claimed more than 250 thousand lives. In Banda Aceh, Ulee Lheue Mass grave became one of the victims' burial sites.
There are more than 14,264 victims buried without tombstones there, due to the large number of victims falling.
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