Honeymoon couple 'survived'
2004-12-28 22:06
Cape Town - A honeymoon couple were among the lucky few who escaped the devastating tsunami in Thailand, their relieved family heard on Tuesday.
Joe van der Westhuizen, 31, and his wife Michelle, 26, of Rosebank got married on December 16. They left shortly afterwards for a honeymoon on the tropical holiday island Phuket.
Joe's mother, Eunice van der Westhuizen of Laingsburg said the couple were apparently still sleeping when the first wave hit the island.
They apparently woke up at 06:00 on Sunday when the water was already knee-deep in their hotel room.
After the first wave receded, they jumped up, ran outside and ran up a hill along with other shocked hotel guests.
Eunice said a second wave, "the damage wave", hit the island shortly afterwards, but her son and daughter-in-law survived because they were high up enough.
They lost almost all their possessions. "But their lives were saved," she said.
- Daily Sun