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Indonesian tsunami girl 'reunited with family' Indonesian tsunami girl 'reunited with family'
(about 3 hours later)
An Indonesian girl swept away in the 2004 tsunami has been reunited with her parents seven years on, the family say.An Indonesian girl swept away in the 2004 tsunami has been reunited with her parents seven years on, the family say.
Meri Yulanda turned up at a cafe in Meulaboh, Aceh, remembering only the name of her grandfather, Ibrahim. Meri Yulanda, also known as Wati, turned up at a cafe in Meulaboh, Aceh, earlier this week, looking for her parents.
Someone at the cafe knew a man by that name and got in touch. Meri says she was beaten and forced to work as a beggar before being set free last week. She says she was found by a widow after the disaster and forced to work as a beggar, being freed only last week.
"When I saw my mother, I knew it was her. I just knew it." Her mother had given up hope of seeing Meri again. Indonesia's northern province of Aceh was the worst hit by the Boxing Day tsunami, which killed 230,000 people.
"The birthmarks on her belly, and a mole and scar on her face proved that the little girl was mine," her mother, Yusnidar, told AFP news agency. Tens of thousands of bodies were never recovered and many families never found out what happened to their loved ones.
There has been no independent verification of Meri's story.
'Just knew'
Meri, who is aged 14 or 15 according to different reports, returned to her hometown remembering only the name of her grandfather, Ibrahim.
Someone at the cafe knew a man by that name and got in touch.
"When I saw my mother, I knew it was her. I just knew it," she said.
"When she saw her mother she yelled 'mama' and ran toward her," her father, Tarmius, told AFP by telephone.
"Both of them hugged each other and cried," he said, according to the Associated Press news agency.
Her mother, who had given up hope of seeing Meri again, said she had not immediately recognised her daughter.
"The birthmarks on her belly, and a mole and scar on her face proved that the little girl was mine," her mother, Yusnidar, told AFP.
The 35-year-old added: "I cannot tell you how grateful I am."The 35-year-old added: "I cannot tell you how grateful I am."
Yusnidar was separated from Meri when the Asian tsunami struck the village of Ujong Baroh on the Aceh coast. Meri and her sister were separated from their parents when the Asian tsunami struck the village of Ujong Baroh on the Aceh coast.
It killed around 168,000 people in the Aceh region alone, but as many as 230,000 people were killed in all. After the disaster, Yusnidar and Tarmius travelled to different districts to search for their lost daughters but could not find them. Their eldest daughters is still missing.
Tens of thousands of bodies were never recovered and many families never found out what happened to their loved ones. Reunions are rare. About 168,000 people were killed in Aceh province alone in the tsunami.
Many families continue to hold out hope for finding their loved ones, but reunions are rare. Many of those announced in recent years have turned out to be untrue.