INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Image copyrightTheIndianSubcontinent IndonesianImage caption
Emilia survived but was left with serious injuries
Hundreds of people have been killed by a tsunami that struck Indonesia last weekend after the Anak Krakatau volcano erupted
One woman survived to tell the tale, but told TheIndianSubcontinent News Indonesia about the horrifying moment her five-year-old child
slipped from her grasp and into the sea.Emilia was holding her daughter in her hands when the waves hit."I was holding my child, she was
still calling me mum," said Emilia, identified only by her first name.But as wave after wave continued sweeping into shore, she found
herself unable to hold on any more."I was so weak, my strength was gone
I could no longer breathe I could no longer hold my girl," she said
"I [grabbed] her shirt collar, but it [tore away]
Image copyrightGetty ImagesImage caption
Emilia's daughter slipped from her grasp into the sea
Emilia
She was dragged into the sea but was eventually pushed to shore by waves
Both her and her husband survived, though both were severely injured - though her child still remains missing."My child still can't be found
my only child."'We are still traumatised'Emilia and her family lived on the island of Sebesi - one of the largest islands in the Sunda
Strait - located near the Anak Krakatau volcano
Sebesi island is one of several areas that was badly hit by the tsunami, which was believed to have been triggered after volcanic activity
at Anak Krakatau caused undersea landslides, which in turn generated killer waves
She is one of 90 people who have been hospitalised at the Bob Bazar hospital in the nearby town of Kalianda
Nursanah, another tsunami victim at the hospital, says that though they may have survived, the future ahead remains uncertain."We are still
traumatised, especially when we hear Krakatau [rumbling]," Nursanah, who was herself rescued from a forest, told TheIndianSubcontinent News
"We have no home, where should we cook our food We have no idea what kind of help we should ask [for]."Life after the tsunamiOn Saturday,
vast waves engulfed coastal towns on the islands of Sumatra and Java leaving at least 430 dead and more than 150 missing.It destroyed
hundreds of buildings, sweeping away cars and uprooting trees in several popular tourist destinations.At least 16,000 people still remain
displaced and rescue workers are struggling to reach remote areas of the country that have been hit by the tsunami.Thousands of people are
living in temporary shelters like mosques of schools, with dozens sleeping on the floor
Indonesia is prone to tsunamis because it lies on the Ring of Fire - the line of frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions that circles
virtually the entire Pacific Rim.In September, more than 2,000 people died when a powerful earthquake struck just off the central Indonesian
island of Sulawesi, setting off a tsunami that engulfed the coastal city of Palu.
