On December 26, 2004, a devastating tsunami triggered by an undersea quake off Sumatra in Indonesia hit Tamil Nadu's coast.
Tamil Nadu today remembered those swallowed by a massive tsunami that struck the state's coast eight years ago, leaving a trail of destruction and devastation of unprecedented levels.
Memorial services were held in Chennai, Nagapattinam and Tirunelveli, among other places, where morning walkers and other revelers on the beach were caught off-guard in 2004 as the massive waves sparked by an undersea earthquake in Indonesia snuffed out lives and damaged property.
Fishermen associations in Chennai arranged for prayers and memorial services, with relatives of victims pouring milk in the sea at Marina as a mark of respect to the departed.
A similar programme was held in Idinthakarai, the heart of the anti-nuclear protests against the multi-crore Kudankulam Nuclear Plant at Tirunelveli, with people attending a morning mass and later pouring milk in the sea to remember their relatives.
Tamil Nadu accounted for nearly 7,000 deaths in the December 26, 2004 tragedy.