The waves, which towered as high as 30 metres, killed more than 220,000 people in 15 countries in the deadliest tsunami in history

Ceremonies were being held in countries across Asia on Thursday to remember the more than 220,000 people who were killed two decades ago in the Indian Ocean Tsunami, the most deadly tsunami in history.

On 26 December 2004, a 9.1-magnitude earthquake struck Indonesia’s Sumatra island, triggering huge waves that slammed into coastal communities across the Indian ocean. The waves, which towered as high as 30 metres, killed 227,899 people across 15 countries.