Mass Graves Of Tsunami Victims Filled With Pilgrims

BANDA ACEH- The mass grave for the victims of the December 26, 2004 tsunami in Gampong Siron, Aceh Besar District, was filled with hundreds of pilgrims on the first day of Eid Al-Fitr 1443 Hijriah.

Observations at the tsunami mass grave in Siron, Monday, May 2, residents began to come to the graves of victims of the natural disaster 18 years ago after performing Eid prayers 1443 Hijriah.

The Gampong Siron mass grave, or about 10 kilometers from the center of Banda Aceh, is one of the locations where tens of thousands of bodies of victims of the tsunami that hit Aceh were buried on December 26, 2004.

The pilgrims, especially residents who live on the coast of Banda Aceh City and Aceh Besar District, came to the mass grave complex with their family members.

The pilgrims join in praying and also reading the Koran in the halls available at the site or spread out mats in the mass grave complex.

A resident, Nurleli, explained that she and her husband and children every Eid al-Fitr visit the Gampong Siron mass grave because it is believed to be the burial site of her father-in-law who was a victim in the devastating tsunami disaster.

"Even though the tsunami was 18 years ago, we still make pilgrimages every holiday, both Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha at the disaster mass grave in Siron Village," he said, quoted by Antara.

The pilgrimage with family at the disaster graveyard is also a medium of reminder or learning, especially to the younger generation that Aceh was hit by a strong earthquake accompanied by a tsunami with a water height of dozens of meters, and claimed many lives, said Nurleli.

"Especially for my children, they should know that Aceh was hit by a tsunami, which caused their grandfathers and grandmothers and their father's brothers to be buried in this mass grave," he said, adding that his father-in-law is a resident of Gampong Lampoh Daya, which is about two kilometers from the coast.