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A national memorial service for victims of December's tsunami has been attended by survivors, relatives and royalty.
The Queen and Prime Minister Tony Blair were among those at the service at St Paul's Cathedral, London.
Some of the bereaved from the worst-hit areas placed candles bearing the names of their countries at the altar.
During a two-minute silence, around 300,000 petals - roughly one for every person killed - fell from the cathedral's dome and galleries.
The petals came from flowers of each of the 12 countries affected by December's waves.
The death toll, put at more than 273,000, includes 124 UK citizens, with 21 still missing, feared dead.
Film director Lord Attenborough, whose daughter and granddaughter died when the tsunami hit Phuket, Thailand, gave a reading from the Book of Revelation at Wednesday's service.
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Survivors hope for closure
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Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams gave a sermon in which he recognised many survivors felt an "irrational guilt" and asked themselves "why am I still alive?".
But he urged them to take heart from the response to the tragedy - which showed that love can survive.
Linda Lilley, whose son died in the tragedy, attended the service in the hope that it would bring her "closure".
"It is a healing process, definitely. I want to draw a line underneath the whole episode."
Mrs Lilley, from Hythe in Kent, added: "We are all pleased that we have got the opportunity to just go and meet other people and be able to talk without crying too much."
Lifesaver receives award
'High quality' of aid response
Her son, 29-year-old Jeremy Stephens, was killed on the Thai island of Koh Phi Phi.
Others attending included Helena Benge-Nilsdotter, a Swede who lives in Weston-super-Mare, who saved a fellow tourist as they were hit by the waves.
She carried Keith Lake, from Kent, on her back to shore after they were swept out to sea while snorkelling.
The service comes as an independent report for the Disasters Emergency Committee, a UK umbrella group of organisations, says the response by aid agencies was of a high quality.
The 13 member agencies, co-ordinated by the committee, responded "exceptionally well to meet the needs of the millions of people affected by the disaster", it said.
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For more info ::
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4535121.stm
I thodght that Lord Attenborough's reading in particular was very appropriate and moving.
Watch BBC video with accounts of how survivors who attended the service are coping five and a half months on ::
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4535121.stm#
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