Posted on 01/01/2005 2:02:22 PM PST by gortklattu
From an earlier posting:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1310914/posts
Photo family's amazing survival From correspondents in Stockholm January 2, 2005
A SERIES of heart-rending photos showing a mother dashing into the tsunami off Thailand in a desperate bid to save her family were cabled out around the world this week.
But the family's fate remained unknown until today, when the Swedish mum came forward to say they had all survived.
"I was yelling at them to run, but they couldn't hear me," 37-year-old Karin Svaerd told the daily Expressen, describing her desperation as her three sons, brother and brother-in-law snorkelled in the water last Sunday, unaware of the pending danger.
The series of three pictures showed confused vacationers on the Ray Leh Beach in Krabi, Thailand, looking at the water receding before the tsunami hit the beach.
Another shot showed swimmers running in to shore once they saw the tower of water approaching.
But Mrs Svaerd, unlike everyone else in the picture, was running out toward the wave in a desperate bid to reach her family.
Her sons Anton, 14, Filip, 11 and Viktor, 10, could not see the wave. Witnesses heard her scream: "Oh my god, not my children!"
Today, Mrs Svaerd told Expressen: "I yelled 'run, run'." But her voice was drowned out by the roar of the water.
"I got 150 meters out before they started to run. By then they'd also seen the wave."
The family got caught in the tsunami and was tossed around underwater. But one by one they managed to get to their feet and make it to higher ground.
An hour after the first wave hit, the family members, including Mrs Svaerd's husband and sister, who were sunbathing on the beach, had managed to locate each other.
"We all survived. That feeling is hard to describe," she said.
Agence France-Presse
That is unbelievable. Thank God!
Great news!
That information made my day. The bravery of the mother trying to save her children was truly something incredible and I think most of us would like to think that we would do the same thing.
I was certain they had all been killed.
It is a small miracle in this horrible tragedy. I only wish more had been so fortunate.
ping
Those look like good waves for body surfing.
You just brightened MY day!! Thanks!
bump
I wonder how the sailboats fared.
If they had crew aboard and if they survived the first wave, going out into deep water ASAP would have saved the crews.
When I saw those photos I figured there was no way that they could have survived........when I saw this article my heart soared.
Darn, a little good news amid all the suffering and horrors.
These photos were posted on another thread with no comment on the results. It looked a lot like the lagoon at Ko Phi Phi which made me think they were too far from high ground to make it. I'm glad they were at Krabi.
Fantastic!!! Those pics bothered me alot. The one that is really haunting, though, is the one showing the women under the bridge, I think it was, looking terrified. It was a long range shot.
Remarkable!
Wonderful news!!! Happy New Year!
ping
Bump
Great news!
This is like the story of the lady who had to choose which son to let go and the one she let go LIVED.
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