Fifteen years back, the people living in India's coastal region had a harrowing time. The world's deadliest tsunami struck the coastal areas on December 26, 2004, in 14 countries around the Indian Ocean, killing nearly 2,30,000 people.
Some of the countries which bore the brunt of the tsunami maximum included Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka and others.
"Many people lost their lives in the tsunami. The government and other orgsations did many things for us but those who died cannot be brought back. After the tsunami, we struggled without food for over two weeks. We offer free food to the people on this day every year," Senthil Kumar, a city resident, told .
"When the tsunami was to hit our coast, I was working on a boat. After seeing the big wave, I escaped. For 13 years, I have been making sand sculpture on tsunami day as a mark of tribute to the people who lost their lives in the natural calamity," said he.
"When the tsunami wave hit the coast, we lost our residences. We stayed in a camp for two years. Later, we got a house made by the government," R, another local, said.
"My mother-in-law died after the tsunami struck the coast here. My son also died. All this left my husband mentally hit. He has not yet recovered from the shock. We got Rs 2 lakh from the government but even after 15 years, I did not get any house," rued Krishna Veni, another Chennai resident.
( With inputs from ANI )