On December 26, 2004, a 9.1 magnitude earthquake (SR) rocked the Indian Ocean, off the coast of North Sumatra, Indonesia. Lindu triggered a massive tsunami that swept coastal areas in a number of countries. More than 230 thousand people died, millions more lost their homes.
One of the most affected areas is Lhoknga, near Banda Aceh.
The city is almost flat. But a miracle happened, a mosque building stood tall in the midst of destruction. A number of people believe, the divine power to save the Rahmatullah Mosque.
This mosque is a witness to the awesomeness of the tsunami wave that devastated Aceh, in 2004 ago.
Before the tsunami, this village was inhabited by around 6,000 people who generally came from the middle class and above.
The population in this village is the majority of employees of PT Semen Andalas Indonesia. In addition, there are also fishermen, farmers and residents from various other professional backgrounds.
When the tsunami occurred, the mosque, which was only 500 meters from the shoreline, was the only remaining building. Although several sides of the mosque building were damaged, most remained intact and survived.