Tsunamis haunt nightmares of child survivors
Tsunamis haunt nightmares of child survivors
M. Jegathesan Agence France-Presse/Penang, Malaysia
Killer tsunamis are coming again, over and over, in the nightmares of children who survived the waves which swept them from their homes or picnics on Malaysia's Penang island.
Rahibah Osman's 11-year-old son, Mohamad Fikri Rahim, who was caught by ferocious waves "as high as coconut trees and blackened with mud", has troubled dreams in Penang General Hospital.
He cries in his sleep and shouts "No, no!", his mother, 49, told AFP.
"I don't know what he's talking about, but when I ask him, he starts to cry," she said.
Mohamad Fikri was playing with his 13-year-old sister outside their home about a kilometer away from the beachfront when massive tidal waves struck their village.
"I heard the loud thundering roar of what I thought was the engine of an airplane," Rahibah said.
Within seconds, huge black waves engulfed her house and her two children disappeared. Her daughter had been swept into a neighboring house and Rahibah managed to grab a pole. Boats were hurled into houses. Mohamad Fikri was nowhere to be seen.
"When the waves died down, his cousin went into the water to search for him and managed to find him. He was covered in mud, even his mouth was full of mud," she said.
Mohamad Fikri was rushed to hospital and revived but the nightmarish experience has changed him, she said.
"My son used to be a cheerful boy, but now he is quiet and reserved. He has lost his appetite.
"I pray he will recover quickly and that he has not lost his memory, because he is taking time to answer questions.
"I do not know what the future holds for us, whether it is dark or bright. But what is most important is that my kids are alive, unlike other parents who have lost their children in the disaster."
Two-year-old Mohamad Ashraf also survived the deadly waves which killed more than 80,000 across Asia that Sunday, including 66 in Malaysia, and he is also showing signs of the trauma in Penang hospital.
His father, Mohamad Rozi, 44, had decided to take his wife and five children to one of Penang's popular picnic areas known as "Miami beach".
"The weather was fine and the sun was shining," he said, and they all sat down for a traditional Malay meal of 'nasi lemak' or rice cooked in coconut milk.
"All of a sudden I saw a white line on the horizon. We were mesmerized by the white line as we stood and watched it."
Within seconds, enormous waves engulfed him and his family.
"We tried to escape but the high slopes to the road made it difficult. My legs were stuck under the roots of a tree. The water and sand were pounding me fast and hard. i just closed my eyes," he said.
"My son was lost in the water for a while. When the waves subsided, we found him lying on the beach, face upwards," Mohamad Rozi said.
"Water was coming out from his nose. I pressed his stomach and water came out from his mouth. I managed to resuscitate him and carried him to higher ground."
"I was in the water for five minutes. I thought of God and asked him to give me strength and to save my family. I never learnt how to save a drowning child, but all of it just came to me."
His wife, Khatijah Sahidan, 42, said the "nightmare will never fade away."
"We will never go back to the seaside. My daughter says they don't want to go back ever."
Little Mohamad Ashraf, 2, who sustained injuries to his head, hands and body, just buried his face in his hands when asked if he ever wanted to return to the beach.