Why in an Indonesian city there has been a boat on the roof of a house and a barge in the middle of the city for many years (5 photos)

Memorial that was created by the tsunami.





In 2004, an earthquake occurred in the Indian Ocean, which caused the worst tsunami in history. It is still unknown how many people died, as many were simply swept out to sea. The figures are only approximate, and they range from 225 to 300 thousand victims. The worst consequences were in the Indonesian city of Banda Aceh, where 130 thousand people died. When the city recovered from the tragedy, the Aceh Tsunami Museum was even officially opened here.



But this is not the only museum in the city dedicated to the tragedy. On the city streets, a few kilometers from the coast, there are ships that the elements washed ashore many years ago. Even today they stand surrounded by buildings very far from the ocean. These ships became a wordless monument to the chaos that occurred on December 26, 2004.

Three waves of disaster

Witnesses to the events of 2004 say that there were three waves. The first wave was weak, the water only reached the foundations of houses. But the next waves hit the city like a giant wall. The second wave was so powerful that it washed out several ships that were in the port. One of them covered a residential building and completely crushed it. This is the PLTD Apung 1 barge weighing 2600 tons. It is believed that there were occupants in the house, and they are still located under this ship.





The ship is now located approximately three kilometers from the coast. When the waters receded, the barge was left standing surrounded by ruins that had once been a city.

Monuments created by the tsunami

PLTD Apung 1 is not the only vessel tossed by the wave. There is also a boat that ended up on the roof of a residential building. The ships almost immediately became an unspoken symbol of the disaster, which claimed the lives of thousands of people. Their photographs appeared in the media, and soon the first tourists began to come to the boats to honor the memory of the victims. As a result, they decided not to touch the ships, leaving them in the place where the ocean had thrown them.



In 2012, a park was installed next to the barge PLTD Apung 1, and the ship itself was put in order. Now you can board the ship, walk around it and admire the view of the surrounding area.



As for the boat, the house underneath it remains in ruins today. The boat itself was nicknamed Noah's Ark by local residents. In the first time after the tragedy, it became a refuge for dozens of people. Almost two decades later, the boat still stands in the same place where the tsunami washed it.