PALU: “My wife attempted to run towards the hill to save herself. She was swallowed by the tsunami wave in her escape bid,” said Onek Asdin, 39, one of the survivors of the earthquake and tsunami in Sulawesi Tengah on Friday.
Still reeling from the shock, the father of one said his wife, Rosmah Lahi, 47, ran as fast as she could after realising the tsunami wave, as high as a house, was fast approaching the beach.
“It was chaotic with hundreds of residents at Desa Loli Saluran, in Banawa district, scurried to safety.
“She (wife) was swept away by the strong wave and submerged, along with the debris from houses and vehicles,” he said when met.
Onek said his wife’s remains were discovered the next day underneath the piles of woods and rocks.
“Despite losing my wife, I am grateful because my only child, Alen, 12, survived as she was rescued by neighbours who brought her along to the hill.
“My house was totally wrecked. We sought shelter at a hut that was built using pieces of wood (collected at the site),” he said.
Meanwhile, Ariff Bambang, 16, said he only thought of saving himseld and sprinted towards the hill at his house backyard barefooted.
“I disregarded the pain of falling numerous times as I stumbled on rocks and woods.
“To date, four villagers are still missing. It is possible that they were swept out to the sea,” he said as he pointed at his village that looked like a massive deserted land.