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| 'Surviving the Boxing Day tsunami gave me a second chance' | 'Surviving the Boxing Day tsunami gave me a second chance' |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Ani Naqvi (left) was visiting the coastal town of Arugam Bay when the tsunami struck | Ani Naqvi (left) was visiting the coastal town of Arugam Bay when the tsunami struck |
| Ani Naqvi remembers the Boxing Day tsunami 20 years ago not just as the day when she nearly lost her life but one that gave her new purpose. | Ani Naqvi remembers the Boxing Day tsunami 20 years ago not just as the day when she nearly lost her life but one that gave her new purpose. |
| She had just turned 33 and was visiting a friend in the Sri Lankan surfing village of Arugam Bay on 26 December 2004 when one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded struck off the coast of Indonesia, triggering one of the worst natural disasters in a century around the Indian Ocean. | She had just turned 33 and was visiting a friend in the Sri Lankan surfing village of Arugam Bay on 26 December 2004 when one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded struck off the coast of Indonesia, triggering one of the worst natural disasters in a century around the Indian Ocean. |
| Describing the moment the tsunami hit, Ms Naqvi, who lives in Southfields, south-west London, said: "The door to my hut flung open so the water started to come in from all sides... Within like milliseconds I was underwater and drowning and fighting for my life. | Describing the moment the tsunami hit, Ms Naqvi, who lives in Southfields, south-west London, said: "The door to my hut flung open so the water started to come in from all sides... Within like milliseconds I was underwater and drowning and fighting for my life. |
| "I was literally rolling around like a grain of rice in a washing machine." | "I was literally rolling around like a grain of rice in a washing machine." |
| As her hut "disintegrated" around her, Ms Naqvi said she saw shards of light and realised she was at the bottom of the wreckage as she was swept inland. | As her hut "disintegrated" around her, Ms Naqvi said she saw shards of light and realised she was at the bottom of the wreckage as she was swept inland. |
| She then became trapped under a falling building, adding: "That was the second time I thought I was going to die." | She then became trapped under a falling building, adding: "That was the second time I thought I was going to die." |
| Ms Naqvi said the hut she was in "disintegrated" when the water hit | Ms Naqvi said the hut she was in "disintegrated" when the water hit |
| Eventually she was able to cling to a tree before being rescued and taken to safety. | Eventually she was able to cling to a tree before being rescued and taken to safety. |
| "There was such abject terror and shock," she said. "I remember the scene, everyone running, then everyone disappearing under the glassiness of the water - I get goose bumps even talking about that now, 20 years later." | "There was such abject terror and shock," she said. "I remember the scene, everyone running, then everyone disappearing under the glassiness of the water - I get goose bumps even talking about that now, 20 years later." |
| More than 225,000 people were killed in the tsunami and earthquake across 14 countries, including 30,000 in Sri Lanka alone. | More than 225,000 people were killed in the tsunami and earthquake across 14 countries, including 30,000 in Sri Lanka alone. |
| Ms Naqvi was eventually airlifted to Colombo, the Sri Lankan capital, and returned to London on New Year's Eve. | Ms Naqvi was eventually airlifted to Colombo, the Sri Lankan capital, and returned to London on New Year's Eve. |
| Coming home, she said, was deeply disorienting. | Coming home, she said, was deeply disorienting. |
| Ani Naqvi says the "tsunami was the catalyst for me finding my purpose" | Ani Naqvi says the "tsunami was the catalyst for me finding my purpose" |
| "It was so bizarre because everything was neat and tidy and in its right place," she said. | "It was so bizarre because everything was neat and tidy and in its right place," she said. |
| "It was this cognitive dissonance of coming from this scene of death and destruction, Armageddon, and now I'm back in this nice orderly place." | "It was this cognitive dissonance of coming from this scene of death and destruction, Armageddon, and now I'm back in this nice orderly place." |
| The surfing town of Arugam Bay was left devastated by the tsunami | The surfing town of Arugam Bay was left devastated by the tsunami |
| Ms Naqvi said she suffered post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of the ordeal. | Ms Naqvi said she suffered post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of the ordeal. |
| Haunted by flashbacks, nightmares, and extreme sensitivity to sound, she sought therapy to help her process the trauma. | Haunted by flashbacks, nightmares, and extreme sensitivity to sound, she sought therapy to help her process the trauma. |
| I Was There: The Boxing Day Tsunami | |
| The 2004 Boxing Day tsunami is one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history. Two decades on, eyewitnesses share their story of survival. | |
| "The tsunami was the catalyst for me finding my purpose, that second chance I got," she said. | "The tsunami was the catalyst for me finding my purpose, that second chance I got," she said. |
| The 53-year-old has now written a memoir about her experiences of the tsunami and life afterwards, including being diagnosed with stage four cancer, and hopes it will inspire others. | The 53-year-old has now written a memoir about her experiences of the tsunami and life afterwards, including being diagnosed with stage four cancer, and hopes it will inspire others. |
| She added: "That sense of responsibility when you've survived something that others haven't is real and stays with you. | She added: "That sense of responsibility when you've survived something that others haven't is real and stays with you. |
| "I will be remembering them this year and honouring them with the work that I do." | "I will be remembering them this year and honouring them with the work that I do." |
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