Commemorations held to mark 10th anniversary of Boxing Day tsunami

Survivors of the Boxing Day tsunami are gathering for commemoration ceremonies to remember the tragedy 10 years ago that left an estimated 230,000 people dead.

Local commemorations will last for three days, with foreign dignitaries taking part in a remembrance service and wreath laying ceremony.

The tsunami was triggered by a 9.1-magnitude earthquake, which struck off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, and hit coastal communities across the Indian Ocean.

Thousands of Indonesians gathered in Banda Aceh, the capital of Aceh province on Sumatra, to hold a memorial service.

Banda Aceh was largely flattened by the earthquake and subsequent waves and around 170,000 people died.

Earlier, a Muslim prayer service was held at the 19th century Baiturrahman Mosque, one of the few buildings in Banda Aceh that remained standing.

Twenty-six Australians were among the more than 5,000 people killed when the tsunami hit Thailand and a series of ceremonies will be held in the country over the next three days to remember the victims.

More than 4,000 people lost their lives at Khao Lak, north of Phuket, where many Germans and Scandinavians were holidaying.