Many openly wept at the mass grave in Ulee Lheue village, where more than 14,000 unidentified and unclaimed tsunami victims are buried.

Survivors and victims' relatives will next week mark the 20th anniversary of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, which killed more than 220,000 people across more than a dozen countries.At the time of the earthquake,

Banlue Choosin has been monitoring the seas around Thailand's southern Phang Nga province for signs of abnormality for nearly two decades. The 59-year-old is a former fisherman, and his experience and knowledge of the sea are why his coastal community in Ban Nam Khem village relies on him to monitor nearby waters after earthquakes.

On Dec. 26, 2004, a 9.1 magnitude earthquake struck off the west coast of Sumatra, causing a massive wave that devastated Asian coastal communities across thousands of miles.

Tearful mourners prayed Thursday as ceremonies began across Asia to remember the 220,000 people who died two decades ago when a tsunami hit coastlines around the Indian Ocean, in one