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
When I saw those pictures, I was sure none of them had survived. This was a miracle.
Good and amazing news ping!
lived to eat meatballs another day
The people who were in developed areas when the wave hit had a much different situation, in that all the swirling debris put them into a Waring blender situation.
Some good news amidst an endless tragedy...
Here's the other thread, many posters thought that the woman was an idiot
Oh my word.....a true miracle.
Yes anyone running in the direction of oncoming disaster is an idiot but love for one's family makes you do idiotic things.
the previous thread on these photos is linked at the top. I wondered what had happened, figuring that the photographer was on some sort of Ninja motorcycle or did a great Carl Lewis impersonation.
Good news to start a new year.
"The line that separates bravery and foolishness is thin; the results alone determine on which side of the line one stands." ==== me
"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."
Alleluya!!
I have been thinking about this woman and her family ever since I first saw the three pictures. It's a miracle.
God bless this woman and her family. Alleluya!
I agree with that statement. That's pretty good :-)
Thanks. I'm a 10 cent an hour philosopher, I don't always make cents.
LOL
I am crying thinking of the bravery of this woman, and her instinct to save her children.
Thank God for miracles like these among such horror stories.
Well I'll reread that thread but I was reading it as it was being discussed and don't remember anyone saying the woman running toward her family was an idiot.
"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."
Tears of joy rolling down my face.
Many in here had commented that this woman and her family had probably died. And, although, I did not make such a comment myself, I, too, thought they had perished, that there was no way they were going to escape those waves.
I'm so happy for them. What a Christmas present!!
This is story I was telling you about.
Thanks for the ping...I had seen this photo on the original thread....glad to have this report they made it home safe.
ping
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