INDONESIA: Australian surfer tsunami suvivor tells how he escaped waves and boat fire

Record ID: 311702

  • Title: INDONESIA: Australian surfer tsunami suvivor tells how he escaped waves and boat fire
  • Date: 28th October 2010
  • Summary: JAKARTA, INDONESIA (OCTOBER 27, 2010) (REUTERS) JAKARTA AIRPORT SIGN OF TERMINAL 2F SURVIVOR, ROBERT MARINO EXITING GATE WITH WHEELCHAIR (SOUNDBITE) (English) MARINO SAYING "We had to escape the boat first -- a boat explosion. So we escaped the boat explosion and ... then we were in the water and then we got washed into the into trees with the tsunami and then we had
  • Embargoed: 12th November 2010 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Indonesia
  • Country: Indonesia
  • Topics: Disasters / Accidents / Natural catastrophes
  • Reuters ID: LVA76VS4P6GKWCJGU1L7TFA2YZC4
  • Story Text: A group of six Australian surfers, who arrived in Jakarta's Airport on Wednesday (October 27) before heading home, described their 'traumatic' survival after being caught in a boat explosion following the tsunami that hit the Indonesia island of Sumatra.
    Their boats, Midas and Freedom III, collided when the tsunami struck late on Monday (October 27).
    The collision caused a fire on Midas and the surfers had to jump into the water as the boat burst into flames.
    One of the survivors, Rob Marino, who was on crutches after suffering a leg injury, said they were lucky to survive after the tsunami rocked the boats they were using to catch waves.
    "We had to escape the boat first -- a boat explosion. So we escaped the boat explosion and ... then we were in the water and then we got washed into the into trees with the tsunami and then we had to climb trees to avoid drowning. So, pretty traumatic," said Marino.
    He arrived with Jimmy Black, James Finucan, Jethro Jones, Daniel Scanlan and Kevin Fitzpatrick. They will stay in Jakarta and return to Australia with three other surfers who are still in Padang due to injuries.
    All nine surfers were saved but lost all of their belongings and travel documents.
    Officials said on Wednesday (Oct. 27) the tsunami that pounded remote islands in western Indonesia following an earthquake off the coast of Sumatra killed at least 282 with hundreds more missing.
    The 7.5 magnitude quake hit 78 km west of South Pagai, one of the Mentawai islands, late on Monday (October 25).
    In December 2004, a tsunami caused by an earthquake of more than 9 magnitude off Sumatra killed more than 226,000 people. It was the deadliest tsunami on record.
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