Indian Ocean tsunami: Ten years on, those worst hit are finally recovering

John Irvine amid the rubble of Banda Aceh after the 2004 tsunami. Credit: ITV News

On the morning of Boxing Day 2004, a tsunami of previously unimaginable proportions began to wreak a trail of destruction that would cause the deaths of at least 230,000 people - making it one of the worst natural disasters in recorded history.

ITV News' John Irvine was among the first reporters to make it to Banda Aceh in Indonesia - the worst-hit location of all.

He witnessed the devastation of a city where just one house remained standing, and spoke to a young man whose entire family was wiped out.

(Caution: This video contains graphic footage some viewers may find distressing)

Of those that died, more than half came from the Aceh region - with many hundreds of thousands more left homeless.

As well as the devastating death toll were mountains of debris which took around five years to clear - though much of it is thought to still be sitting on the sea floor just off the nearby coast.

The waves in Aceh were so strong that huge ships were dragged several miles inland.

Those that survived still bear the scars of the disaster, but are finally getting their lives back on track after more than £4 billion in aid was pumped into the region - albeit arriving slowly.

A sort of normality has now returned in Banda Aceh. Credit: Doreen Fiedler/DPA/Press Association Images

One woman, named Salawati, used aid money to rebuild her house on the exact spot it stood before it was destroyed by waves ten years ago.

The 47-year-old survivor - who lost two of her three children to the 32-foot tsunami - only received financial help in 2011.

Since then she has started her own food business, and aims to help others in her village of Merduati who struggle below the poverty line.

Salawati now runs her own business after losing two children in the tsunami. Credit: Reuters

"Our feelings are not like 10 years ago when I would feel sad if I talked about my tsunami experience," she said. "Now we are focused on improving our business and helping other families in our community."

Her story is one of survival and renewal, when a decade ago it was unclear if Aceh would ever recover.