Girl swept away by 2004 tsunami found
Wati was just eight years old when, on the day after Christmas 2004, the massive Indian Ocean tsunami swept her away from her mother and two sisters in Ujong Baroh, Aceh, on the island of Sumatra. Everyone assumed she was dead.
Wati, now 15, resurfaced in the nearby city of Meulaboh on Wednesday, telling the staff at a local cafe that she was trying to find her way home. She could only remember the name of one relative: her grandpa Ibrahim. They brought her to him, and a mole and small scar identified her as his missing granddaughter. Antara News reports that Wati's whereabouts the past seven years were "not immediately disclosed to reporters," except to say that she "had been to places in other districts in Aceh province."
170,000 people were killed by that tsunami, which was caused by the most powerful earthquake to hit the planet in 40 years, and hit 10 countries. 130,000 are still missing.
