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In Indonesia, a girl who was swept away in the Indian Ocean tsunami seven years ago has broken down in tears after tracking down a woman whom she believes to be her mother. The 15-year-old showed up in Aceh province's hard-hit town of Meulaboh earlier this week. She claims that, not long after the wave hit, she was taken in by a woman who forced her to beg.
When the teen stopped bringing in money, she was told to leave and go find her parents. Only 8 years old when the tsunami hit, the girl has only patchy memories about her past. She began her search by telling people she thought her grandfather was named "Ibrahim." The family, who say the girl's original name is Meri Yuranda, are also convinced the girl is who she says she is.
Tsunami of 2006:
The death toll from Monday’s tsunami that ravaged beach resorts and fishing villages along the southern coast of Java reached 341 Tuesday, with at least 229 people reported missing. Vice President Jusuf Kalla, speaking after a Cabinet meeting Tuesday afternoon, also said 80 people were injured and more than 40,000 displaced in the aftermath of the tsunami, which was triggered by a 6.8-magnitude undersea earthquake off the coast Monday afternoon.
At least three foreigners from Japan, Belgium and Sweden were confirmed killed, he said. Five Saudi Arabians were reportedly injured. Presidential spokesman Andi Alfian Mallarangeng said President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had postponed a planned visit to worst-affect Pangandaran, West Java, and Cilacap, Central Java, which was tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, because he first wanted to monitor the latest developments. “We haven’t decided the date of the visit yet.
The President wants to monitor the developments,” Andi was quoted as saying by Antara newswire. No warnings were reported ahead of the four-meter-high waves, despite regional efforts to establish early warning systems after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that left about 230,000 dead or missing, including 170,000 in Nanggroe Aceh Darrusalam. The system is currently only in place in Sumatra. But experts believe many residents and tourists, recognizing the signs of the tsunami from reports about Aceh, fled to higher ground as the sea receded before huge waves came crashing ashore.
“When the waves came, I heard people screaming and then I heard something like a plane about to crash nearby, and I just ran,” Uli Sutarli, a plantation worker who was on Pangandaran beach, told Reuters. The waves flung cars, motorbikes and boats into hotels and storefronts, flattened homes and restaurants, and flooded rice fields up to 500 meters from the sea along a stretch of the densely populated coastline. In Bandung, the West Java provincial administration declared a seven-day emergency phase to help speed up handling of the disaster. In Cilacap, the spokesman for the local regency administration, Adi Nugroho, said 89 people were declared dead and 49 others missing as of Tuesday afternoon, while in the adjacent city of Kebumen, seven died and 46 were missing.
Most of the victims were farmers who were tending their fields near the coast, people at nearby food stalls or livestock handlers in the area, Adi said. In Yogyakarta, three people were confirmed dead — two from Drini coast in Gunung Kidul and another person in Parangtritis, Bantul. Two fishermen were declared missing after last being seen fishing at Samas beach off Bantul, which was devastated by an earthquake on May 27. Based on Kebumen regency data, up to 467 fishing boats at Ayah coast were damaged, while 150 were affected in Yogyakarta.
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In Indonesia, a girl who was swept away in the Indian Ocean tsunami seven years ago has broken down in tears after tracking down a woman whom she believes to be her mother. The 15-year-old showed up in Aceh province's hard-hit town of Meulaboh earlier this week. She claims that, not long after the wave hit, she was taken in by a woman who forced her to beg.
When the teen stopped bringing in money, she was told to leave and go find her parents. Only 8 years old when the tsunami hit, the girl has only patchy memories about her past. She began her search by telling people she thought her grandfather was named "Ibrahim." The family, who say the girl's original name is Meri Yuranda, are also convinced the girl is who she says she is.
The death toll from Monday’s tsunami that ravaged beach resorts and fishing villages along the southern coast of Java reached 341 Tuesday, with at least 229 people reported missing. Vice President Jusuf Kalla, speaking after a Cabinet meeting Tuesday afternoon, also said 80 people were injured and more than 40,000 displaced in the aftermath of the tsunami, which was triggered by a 6.8-magnitude undersea earthquake off the coast Monday afternoon.
At least three foreigners from Japan, Belgium and Sweden were confirmed killed, he said. Five Saudi Arabians were reportedly injured. Presidential spokesman Andi Alfian Mallarangeng said President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had postponed a planned visit to worst-affect Pangandaran, West Java, and Cilacap, Central Java, which was tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, because he first wanted to monitor the latest developments. “We haven’t decided the date of the visit yet.
The President wants to monitor the developments,” Andi was quoted as saying by Antara newswire. No warnings were reported ahead of the four-meter-high waves, despite regional efforts to establish early warning systems after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that left about 230,000 dead or missing, including 170,000 in Nanggroe Aceh Darrusalam. The system is currently only in place in Sumatra. But experts believe many residents and tourists, recognizing the signs of the tsunami from reports about Aceh, fled to higher ground as the sea receded before huge waves came crashing ashore.
“When the waves came, I heard people screaming and then I heard something like a plane about to crash nearby, and I just ran,” Uli Sutarli, a plantation worker who was on Pangandaran beach, told Reuters. The waves flung cars, motorbikes and boats into hotels and storefronts, flattened homes and restaurants, and flooded rice fields up to 500 meters from the sea along a stretch of the densely populated coastline. In Bandung, the West Java provincial administration declared a seven-day emergency phase to help speed up handling of the disaster. In Cilacap, the spokesman for the local regency administration, Adi Nugroho, said 89 people were declared dead and 49 others missing as of Tuesday afternoon, while in the adjacent city of Kebumen, seven died and 46 were missing.
Most of the victims were farmers who were tending their fields near the coast, people at nearby food stalls or livestock handlers in the area, Adi said. In Yogyakarta, three people were confirmed dead — two from Drini coast in Gunung Kidul and another person in Parangtritis, Bantul. Two fishermen were declared missing after last being seen fishing at Samas beach off Bantul, which was devastated by an earthquake on May 27. Based on Kebumen regency data, up to 467 fishing boats at Ayah coast were damaged, while 150 were affected in Yogyakarta.
