Sri Lanka tsunami West

Sri Lankan tsunami disaster. http://www.peraliya.com

On December 26th 2005 the world's largest natural disaster hit the shores of Sri Lanka.  The photographs were taken in Peraliya, a small village 4km north of Hikadua, where a group of international volunteers came together to help rebuild the village. More than 2,500 people died in Peraliya alone. Ninety percent of the villagers were killed and hundreds of families left homeless. It was also the place where The Queen of the Sea, engine number 59 and eight carriages packed to the brim derailed on its way from Colombo to Galle. Over 1,500 people died on the train, making it the largest train disaster in the world. Independent volunteers worked side by side with local families to help put Peraliya back on the map.