A BLACKBURN woman who visited Indonesia in the aftermath of the Boxing Day tsunami has spoken of the progress the country has made on the tenth anniversary of the disaster.

Geraldine Armstrong, 64, helped bring aid to the city of Banda Aceh, close to the epicentre of the earthquake which killed more than 230,000 people in 14 countries.

Her daughter-in-law, Nyanyak Armstrong, lost 40 members of her extended family in the tragedy in 2004.

Mrs Armstrong, wife of The Dean of Blackburn, the Very Reverend Christopher Armstrong, revisited the region last year with her son, Jonathan, and described the rebuilding process as ‘remarkable’.

She said: “Jonathan and I went back last year. He and his family still live in Jakarta. It is absolutely remarkable what the people there have done.

“They have had to re-do everything, from buildings to vegetation. The whole city has been built up again.

“Jonathon helped raise a lot of money to go towards projects there.

“Nyanyak lost most of her family, including all of her sisters. She has three brothers who survived so we went to see them for a week and you can’t comprehend what these people have gone through.”

The earthquake in the Indian Ocean is the third-largest ever recorded and triggered other tremors as far away as Alaska.

More than $14 billion was raised worldwide in humanitarian aid, including efforts by groups in East Lancashire such as St Mary’s College, Blackburn, where Geraldine, who is now retired, was a teacher.

Jonathan, 36, raised more than £40,000 for the New Life For Lokna appeal before fleeing the country after being threatened by gangs in 2006.

His mum said: “We in Lancashire did a great deal at the time of the disaster and I think the people of Aceh appreciate that.

“I think they are having some remembrance services this week but the anniversary isn’t as big a deal for them as it maybe is for others.

“They have to live with it every day and every year. The last time I saw Jonathan was when we revisited Aceh last May and what they have done and how they have coped is incredible.”

Jonathan now lives with his wife and three children, Adam, 13, Toby, 12, and Thomas, four.

The professional musician, who plays bass in the band Gungun Blues Shelter, speaks fluent Indonesian and has settled in the capital city, Jakarta.