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| Southeast Asia |
| Ko Phi Phi Eyewitnesses: I was diving at 50 ft |
| 2004-12-28 |
| A BRITISH survivor was hit by the killer tsunami while diving 50ft below water. The force of the monster wave threw Amy Harding and fellow scuba divers halfway up a hillside on the Thai island of Ko Phi Phi. Amy, 24, raised the alarm with her family in the UK by sending them TEXT messages on her mobile phone. But for more than a day she was frantic with worry about boyfriend Evya, who had disappeared. Yesterday she was finally rescued from the hillside — and discovered that Israeli Evya was safe and well. Diving instructor Amy, from Neston on the Wirral, Cheshire, was taking a group on a regular dive when they were churned up in the massive current and washed up the hillside. They managed to scramble on to a hotel roof where they waited for help, surrounded by water. Brother Mike, 27, received her first text, sent at 2.10pm local time on Sunday. The trainee accountant was spending Christmas at home with their parents Frank, 78, and Elisabeth, 62. The text read: "Island hit by tidal wave. Am OK. Was diving. Caught in major current, part of island destroyed. Not seen Evya. Sat on a hotel roof with ocean either side. Am OK though. x" Mike said: "I phoned her back straight away. She was very shaken." In a second message sent at 5.17pm local time Amy said: "Think we'll stay up here overnight and get bitten to death instead. So worried about Evya. At least I'm safe here. Love you all." In a third message, at 10.50pm, Amy said: "I'm so worried, so scared. Here till daylight and then risk going down. I'm so worried about Evya." Yesterday Amy was rescued by Thai emergency teams and taken to a hotel. Mike said: "She was crying and desperately searching for Evya. Then she spotted him helping survivors — she was absolutely ecstatic." Mum Elisabeth said: "Amy just told me she was safe, well and very tired. I burst into tears." |
| Posted by:.com |
#1 That was one hell of a ride.raised the alarm with her family in the UK by sending them TEXT messages on her mobile phoneOur world, it is a-changin'. Fast. |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2004-12-28 1:34:41 PM |