today i'm also in banda aceh. commemorating the 20 years of the tsunami by riding bicycles from medan to banda aceh. just to see the difference 20 years back along the coast hit by the tsunami. yesterday was the hardest part where i have to cycle around 240km from malabo, the place where i worked for almost two years, and cycle to banda aceh along the coast. i can see of course the difference we found after 20 years. i met a lot of people who — very fortunate to meet one father who was basically — was beneficiary of my clinic during that time. it was memorable. there are now early warning systems providing real time data across the indian ocean for better prepardness across vulnerable like indonesia. tsunami expert, professor nazli ismail, lecturer in geophysics at syiah kuala university, is here now. we just heard testimony of what happened back in 2004 and how difficult it was to rebuild. what systems are in place now, you know, there ever was such a big disaster?— big disaster? sorry, can you sa that big disast

ali: and in banda aceh, the sea produced waves of up to 100 feet. were no warning sirens, resulting in the deaths of nearly 130,000 people here. now, the city has a new quake detection and tsunami warning system, which its residents hope will remain ready, but unused. earlier this week, i spoke with daniel bogado, the director and executive producer of a new documentary called "tsunami: race against time." why is it important to look back on this tsunami 20 years on? daniel: well, i think it's exactly, precisely because of the amount of time that has passed. 20 years is a long period of time. so it means there's a whole generation of adults who have no living memory of the tsunami. a lot of people learned a lot of information about what tsunamis are, what are the warning signs from the event itself. we wanted to create a historical document and also memorial for the lives that were lost. but it also serves a bit of an educational purpose. ali: you uncovered an enormous amount of video and tracked down many survivors. got some really harrowing recoll

a vigil was held in banda aceh on the island of sumatra, close to the epicentre of the huge underwaterthquake that triggered the tsunami. 0ur south—east asia correspondent jonathan head, who witnessed the devastation in 2004, sent this report. siren. the chilling wail of the warning sirens this morning in banda aceh, in northern indonesia, marking the moment when the city was almost completely wiped out by the biggest tsunami of modern times. a frightening reminder for survivors is also a reassurance that today they are better prepared. in thailand, they hung photographs of those who died on the tiled memorial, which reaches the height of the wave which smashed into the beaches on that boxing day morning. most of the 151 british victims died here. translation: i feel dismay. it's been 20 years. i came here every day. time flies, but it passes slowly in our minds. screaming. few understood what was happening back then, as they watched the lethal torrent of water roar in. there had been no warnings. thailand, like sri lanka, was a long way from the massive earthquake which sent the wave

i'm from banda aceh, indonesia. in 2004, i was 11 years old. i live only with my mum because when i was a baby, my mum and my dad already divorced. i was in thailand aged 13, where i was planning to spend christmas and my 14th birthday with my family. it was a paradise dream destination. i'd been to sri lankal earlier in 2004 to get married in february, i and my husband and i loved it so much that i we decided to go back. my husband and my| daughter, just going for a christmas holiday. a powerful earthquake has hit the island of sumatra in indonesia. details are still coming in, but there are reports of widespread damage. news agencies and local radio stations are reporting that a number of people have been killed. i'm rachel harvey, and in 2004, i was the bbc's indonesia correspondent based in jakarta. i was woken up on the morning of boxing day by the news desk in london saying that there had been this big earthquake recorded off the coast of indonesia, and could i try and get as much information as possible and file a radio dispatch as soon

a vigil was held in banda aceh on the island of sumatra, close to the epicentre of the huge underwaterquake that triggered the tsunami. people gathered at prayer sites in memory of the tens of thousands of victims buried in mass graves. this is the scene live in thailand where prayers are also held for the victims of the disaster in southern phang nga province. they have been planting saplings there. and are also gatherinng sri lanka to remember those who died when the tsunami struck the island nation. the 26th of december, that fateful day when that 9.1 magnitude earthquake struck triggering that enormous tsunami. the sun going down there across that part of the world. our south—east asia correspondent jonathan head, who witnessed the devastation in 2004, sent this report. siren. the chilling wail of the warning sirens this morning in banda aceh, in northern indonesia, marking the moment when the city was almost completely wiped out by the biggest tsunami of modern times. a frightening reminder for survivors is also a reassurance that today they are better prepared. in thailand, they

a vigil has taken place in banda aceh on the island of sumatra, close to the epicentre of the huge underwaterthat triggered the tsunami. the vigil followed a siren that sounded shortly before 8am local time — the exact moment from the earthquake 20 years ago. the tsunami — on the 26th of december 2004 — is one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history, killing people in more than a dozen countries. this is live pictures of a shrine until sri lanka. flowers have been laid out there. shortly we'll be talking to our correspondent at the scene. officials in kazakhstan say 38 people have been killed in the azerbaijan airlines plane crash near the city of aktau. the aircraft had left the azerbaijani capital of baku, en route to grozny in the russian republic of chechnya, but was diverted because of fog. duncan kennedy has the latest. this was the plane in its final moments. descending at high speed, its landing gear down. the pilot appears to be struggling to control the jet. it banks just before impact. much of the aircraft was crushed into a burning trail of wreckage. emergency worke

these pictures are from commemorations today in banda aceh in indonesia, where residents have been takingin a vigil to remember those who lost their lives. a minute's silence was observed and a siren, replicating the warning siren of 20 years ago, was played. i'm joined now by our southeast asia correspondentjonathan head. he reported extensively from the region in the wake of the tsunami. good to have the on the programme this morning. you reported on the story. what does 20 years meant to you and for those people you talk to over the years? i for those people you talk to over the years?— for those people you talk to over the years? i think it is, the thing — over the years? i think it is, the thing about _ over the years? i think it is, the thing about a _ over the years? i think it is, the thing about a natural. the thing about a natural disaster compared to so many other stories we cover where there is a huge amount of outrage and analysis, there is not a whole lot you can say about a disaster of that scale. it was so much bigger than anything else we covered. i started by reporting h

a magnitude 9.2 earthquake under the sea near banda aceh, indonesia, lasting ten unrelenting minutes. the power of it felt hundreds of miles away. in kohler, there are hotels and resorts all along here and people were doing what they do. they were at the beach or at the swimming pool. unaware of what was going to happen first, the ocean pulled back from the shore, revealing the seabed. then a mountain of waves came crashing in. captured on video by people who made it to higher ground. hey! two american survivors vacationing at different resorts in thailand that day can still recall every detail. it was squeezing me and i can't quite describe it. i heard after that the water was traveling 250 to 500 miles an hour. my body was being crushed and contorted. my right hand was essentially amputated. i mean, it was just an unbelievable moment to realize this is happening to you and that you're going to die instantly. wave after wave, at times higher than 100ft. demolished coastal areas in 14 countries. within hours, an estimated 230,000 lives were lost from indonesia to sri lanka, india and

these are the live pictures from banda aceh in indonesia where residents are taking part in a vigil toi killed over 200,000 people in 14 different countries, making it the deadliest in recorded history. it began with a 9.1 magnitude earthquake that struck off the coast of indonesia, triggering a tsunami that swept away entire communities around the indian ocean. the violent thrust of the ocean floor displaced billions of tonnes of seawater, which then raced towards shorelines at terrifying speeds. the estimated cost of the damage was just under $10 billion. 38 people were killed in the azerbaijan airlines plane crash near the city of aktau, khazakstan. officials say the aircraft had been trying to make an emergency landing when flames erupted at the front. almost half the 67 passengers and crew survived. the plane was en route to the city of grozny in russia's chechnya region before being diverted due to fog. 0ur correspondent duncan kennedy has the very latest. this was the plane in its final moments. descending at high speed, its landing gear down. the pilot appears to be struggling

these pictures are from commemorations today in banda aceh in indonesia, where residents have been takingin a vigil to remember those who lost their lives. a minute's silence was observed and a siren, replicating the warning siren of 20 yers ago was played. and we can bring you these images live from thailand, where images live from thailand, local residents and foreign where local residents and foreign dignitaries are gathering for a religious ceremony to remember the day. 0ur south east asia correspondentjonathan head reported extensively from the region in the wake of the tsunami — these are his reflections 20 years on. i think it is, the thing about a natural disaster compared to so many other stories we cover where there is a huge amount of outrage and analysis, there is not a whole lot you can say about a disaster of that scale. it was so much bigger than anything else we covered. when i started my reporting here in thailand in phuket on phi phi island, crushed by concrete, arms and legs sticking out i never experienced anything like that. then i got to aceh, the worst hit part of i

the chilling wail of the warning sirens this morning in northern indonesia, in banda aceh, marking thehe city was almost completely wiped out by the biggest tsunami in modern times. a frightening reminderfor survivors, it is also a reassurance that today, they are better prepared. in thailand, they hung photographs of those who died on the tiled memorial, which reaches the height of the wave which smashed into the beaches on that boxing day morning. most of the 15! british victims died here. translation: i most of the 151 british victims died here. translation:— most of the 151 british victims died here. translation: i feel this may. it has been 20 _ here. translation: i feel this may. it has been 20 years. _ here. translation: i feel this may. it has been 20 years. i _ here. translation: i feel this may. it has been 20 years. i came - here. translation: i feel this may. it has been 20 years. i came here i it has been 20 years. i came here every day of stop time flies, but it passes slowly in our minds. few understood _ passes slowly in our minds. few understood what _ passes slowly in