The first western reporter into severely damaged Indonesian region of Aceh in disaster’s aftermath witnessed the scale of the devastation firsthand

• Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast

The former ABC Indonesia correspondent Tim Palmer says the sight of dozens of tiny bodies lined up was the most heartrending scene he witnessed in the aftermath of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami.

“Family after family had their children sucked from their grasp; they were actually holding them and holding a tree at the same time and were still not able to save their infant child,” Palmer says.