Emotional reunion for family and daughter
January 20, 2005 Edition 1
Banda Aceh: The last time Amiruddin saw his shy 7-year-old daughter was three weeks ago when the tsunami snatched her away. But the Indonesian man kept looking for her, and yesterday his refugee camp's intercom called him and he got the news: his girl was alive.
He couldn't believe it. His lost daughter, Putri, was waiting for him in a farmhouse near Banda Aceh, the capital of the province hit hardest by the December 26 disaster.
When the girl with big brown eyes and short dark hair appeared dressed in a dirty T-shirt and blue pants, the fish trader broke into a smile. He said nothing as he held her in his arms. Other survivors gathered around, gasping and crying at the reunion.
"I want to show the child to my wife," Amiruddin, who only uses one name, told the family of rice traders who had given shelter to Putri and about 200 other refugees in their home.
The family said they had never given up hope of finding Putri, despite being torn apart the day the tsunami slammed into the city of Lhokseumawe.
As flood waters rushed into their house, Amiruddin's wife, Hernini, rushed the family to the roof. But along the way, she lost Putri. When the flood waters had receded, she had searched in vain for her daughter among the dead bodies that littered the streets. - Sapa-AP
