When a Holiday Takes a Sorrowful Turn
Tsunami Affected Area – An aerial view of coastline in Banten affected by tsunami taken from the Susi Air airline Cessna 208B Grand Caravan on Sunday (23/12/2018). The disaster caused hundreds of casualties, injuries and missing victims and damages to buildings, residential areas to fishing boats. Emergency handling of the impact of the disaster has been carried out by the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) in cooperation with the Indonesian Military (TNI), National Police (Polri), National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), Social Affairs Ministry, Health Ministry, Public Works and People Housing Ministry, Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, and related institutions and the regional governments.
Yana Sopiana, 50, of Banyubiru village, Labuan district, Pandeglang regency, Banten, looked restless as she entered the lobby of the Tanjung Lesung Beach Hotel and Villa on Sunday. In the lobby that was packed with dead bodies, Yana was looking for her daughter Ayu Rahayu, 23, who went missing after the tsunami hit on Saturday night.
“Help me, Sir. I’ve been looking for Ayu since this morning,” a crying Yana begged search and rescue personnel.