In the biggest ever memorial service for the victims of the bombing of Air India's Kanishka flight that killed 329 people, some 200 relatives of the dead joined by Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin and Irish President Mary McAleese paid their homage to mark the 20th anniversary of the tragedy on Thursday.

The 90-minute ceremony, where emotions ran high, took place at the memorial site at Ahakista, the place closest to the 1985 disaster, in western Cork.

Kanishka Bombing: Verdict and after

Describing the bombing as a dreadful and wicked, McAleese said, "This is not how things are supposed to be. No one on that plane on that fateful day had this destination in mind."

"The tragic end to the lives of so many men, women and children who left Toronto for Mumbai full of thoughts of tomorrow and the next day was to mark the start of a journey of sorrow for the bereaved," she said.