Policeman who was pronounced dead after the 2004 Indonesian tsunami is found ALIVE by his family after spending 16 years in a mental hospital due to the trauma he witnessed
- Policeman Abrip Asep was on duty when the tsunami hit Indonesia in 2004
- His relatives believed he was among the more than 230,000 people killed
- But Asep was found in a mental hospital and reunited with his family
A police officer who was pronounced dead after the 2004 Indonesian tsunami was found alive after allegedly having a mental breakdown in the middle of the tragedy and ended up in a mental hospital for the past 16 years.
Abrip Asep was on duty when the Indian Ocean tsunami hit Indonesia on Boxing Day in 2004, his family said.
His relatives were heartbroken after believing he was among the more than 230,000 people who died when waves up to 30 meters high swept across Southeast Asia.
But by a stroke of luck, Asep was found and reunited with his family after almost two decades of difference, according to local media.
Policeman Abrip Asep, who was pronounced dead after the 2004 Indonesian tsunami, was found alive after having a mental breakdown in the middle of the tragedy and ending up in a mental hospital for the past 16 years. In the photo: Asep before disappearing (left) and Asep now in the psychiatric hospital (right)
Abrip Asep was on duty when the Indian Ocean tsunami hit Indonesia on Boxing Day in 2004, his family said. In the photo: the consequences of the tsunami in Aceh, Indonesia
Asep was found in a mental hospital in Aceh province, Indonesia, after suffering from mental health problems due to the trauma he witnessed during the tsunami.
He was reported missing by his family after the natural disaster struck Aceh province, in the far west of Indonesia, and was later declared dead.
But his relatives said they had made the shocking discovery that Asep was still alive in recent weeks, after photos were shared in a family group chat on social media.
A family member said: ‘I couldn’t believe it, 17 years without news and we thought he was dead, we didn’t know he was still alive.’
Asep (left) was found in a mental hospital in Aceh province, Indonesia, after suffering from mental health problems due to the trauma he witnessed during the tsunami
Local police confirmed that the man found at the psychiatric hospital was Abrip, who disappeared during the tsunami and was later declared dead.
A spokesman for the Aceh Regional Police said: ‘Although he is suffering from a mental illness due to the tsunami, his family is very grateful to have found him alive.’
It is not clear why his family was not notified that he was in the mental hospital.
The Indonesian archipelago was the hardest hit country in Southeast Asia when the Indian Ocean earthquake was followed by a tsunami on December 26, 2004.
The Indonesian archipelago was the hardest hit country in Southeast Asia when the Indian Ocean earthquake was followed by a tsunami on December 26, 2004. Photo: consequences of the tsunami in the coastal area of Banda Aceh, Indonesia
The tsunami was the effect of an underwater earthquake just after 1 am on Boxing Day, the third largest earthquake ever recorded on a seismograph, with a magnitude of 9.0-9.3.
The gigantic movement of water that followed saw waves of up to 100 feet hit the coasts of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand.
Indonesia was seriously affected by the tsunami, suffering at least 167,000 victims, an estimated 200,000.
But this is unlikely to be confirmed, since thousands of bodies could never be recovered by being dragged to the sea by powerful waves.