Tsunami stories: Tribute to drowned officer hero

Police paid tribute to an officer who helped save hundreds of people on his remote island in India during the tsunami disaster, then was swept away helping one last person, an old woman who asked him to get her handbag.

Sanjeev Kumar, 30, was one of the first people on the small island of Katchall to see the giant waves coming.

He sent his wife and baby daughter to higher ground before warning hundreds of others to shelter in a temple.

As he was about to join everyone else, a wave caught him while retrieving a handbag for an old woman he had helped to safety.

"Sanjeev was one of our best officers, young and brave," said A.K. Singh, the superintendent of police.


Heavyweight helps out

Sri Lanka was not on the map of four-time world heavyweight boxing champion Evander Holyfield until the tsunamis devastated the island.

Holyfield, who did not know that such a country existed until the Boxing Day tsunami, has gone there to help the victims, Britain's Daily Mirror reported.

"I believe that people should not just see the disaster and stop at that but do something about it," said Holyfield who works closely with humanitarian aid organisation, Global Peace Initiative Group.

Holyfield hoped other international celebrities would come forward to help. Before Sri Lanka, Holyfield had gone to India to help the relief effort.


Rare turtles swept away

Endangered sea turtles were also casualties of the tsunami, with the monster waves possibly hastening their extinction, a marine expert said.

At least 24 turtles swept up by the waves have been found on the shores of Phuket island, some dead, others with cuts, scrapes and broken shells.

But the titanic wave also swept away about two dozen endangered olive ridley turtles that were part of a breeding programme.

"In the worst-case scenario, the effect of the tsunami could make some species of sea turtles extinct," said a marine biologist at Phuket Marine Biological Centre, Kongkiat Kittiwattanawong.

Since sea turtles move slowly, breathe through their lungs and need to surface regularly for oxygen, they were particularly susceptible to the tsunami.


Cut-off children rescued

Before being rescued last week, 11-year-old Muzakil and his two siblings had been cut off from help for nearly 12 days after giant waves levelled their town in Aceh and swept their parents out to sea.

Muzakil, who is suffering from severe dehydration, is now among the patients at the improvised 20-bed hospital on board the Indonesian Navy's Tanjung Langsa, which is providing medical care for the Aceh injured

The Tanjung Langsa is docked in the hard-hit town of Calang, about 270km south of Banda Aceh.

Muzakil's hometown of Lho Timon, just 10km from Calang, was one of the communities cut off following the tsunami that nearly killed Muzakil.

"We tried, and tried to come to Calang, but everything was blocked," said Muzakil's sister Yuslianda, who at 14 now finds herself at the head of the family.

On Saturday, the crew of a fishing boat spotted Yuslianda and Muzakil's other sibling frantically waving to attract attention and brought the three aboard the Tanjung Langsa.