CHENNAI: Hundreds of people gathered at the beaches and offered milk and flowers to the sea, and those from the affected villages in Tamil Nadu took out silent processions on Friday in remembrance of thousands of lives lost during the devastating Tsunami in 2004.

Commemorations were held in Nagapattinam, Kanniyakumari, Cuddalore, and Chennai coastal areas, which were among the worst affected when a massive tidal wave triggered by an undersea earthquake in the Indian Ocean off Sumatra, Indonesia, lashed the coastal Tamil Nadu 21 years ago.

The people from 25 affected fishing villages in Nagapattinam district observed the 21st anniversary by taking out silent processions.

Floral tributes were paid at the memorial sites in Kanniyakumari, Nagapattinam, Cuddalore and Chennai. Over 8,000 lives were said to have been lost due to the impact of the tsunami in the state.

In Tuticorin, fishermen gathered on the coast and paid their respects and later held a commemoration.

In Chennai, the BJP members joined the people at Pattinampakkam-Srinivasapuram beach and offered milk to the sea. They later distributed food to the local fishermen.

At Vedaranyam, the AIADMK members led by former state minister OS Manian paid floral tributes to the tsunami victims at Arokattuthurai.