2014-12-24 14:18:00

10 years on: Sri Lankan Bishop recalls the deadly Tsunami


(Vatican Radio) Joseph Ponniah is Bishop of Batticaloa in eastern Sri Lanka which was one of the areas badly affected by the deadly Tsunami that swept ashore following the earthquake 10 years ago, on December 26th 2004. More than 250,000 people were killed across the south Asia region following the earthquake and Tsunami in what was one of the world’s biggest ever natural disasters. After Indonesia, Sri Lanka was the second worst-affected nation. 

Bishop Ponniah recalled his own memories of that fateful day 10 years ago and said that more than 3,000 people in his diocese alone lost their lives as a result of the tidal waves that swept ashore on that day after Christmas. He said in the wake of the disaster, many people that previously lived in the coastal areas and whose homes were destroyed, are now living in new homes built further inland. Bishop Ponniah noted that despite the ongoing reconconstruction effort, the trauma and scars still remain 10 years on, especially for those who were left orphans or for parents who lost their children in the disaster.  

Listen to the full interview with Sri Lanka Bishop Ponniah:  








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