A gripping colour photograph of a woman grieving next to the body of a dead relative, by Indian photographer Arko Datta of Reuters, won the World Press Photo award for 2004.
The image in which the woman is captured wailing on the ground with her palms facing the heavens was shot in Cuddalore, India, on December 28, two days after a devastating undersea earthquake and tsunami struck the Indian Ocean region.
Datta's photo is "graphic, historical and starkly emotional," jury member Kathy Ryan, a photo editor with the New York Times Magazine, said in a statement. Datta will receive a cash prize of $12,700 and a new camera.
The winning picture was selected from a record 4,266 photographers from 123 countries who entered 69,190 images in 10 categories.
A dozen jury members spent nearly 10 days selecting the best pictures in the Dutch capital, Amsterdam. Prizes were awarded to 59 photographers from 24 countries. They will go on public exhibit at 85 global locations starting April 25.
British news agency Reuters won two of three prizes in the prestigious "Spot News" category and came in second place in the "Nature Singles" and "People in the News" segments.
