An emotional and unexpected story happened in Indonesia when a police officer who was thought to have gone missing in the terrible tsunami in 2004 was suddenly found alive after 17 years (2021).
Recently, this story was retold. It is known that their family's life is now stable and happy.
On December 26, 2004, a 9.1 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Sumatra triggered one of the most devastating tsunamis in history, causing heavy damage to many coastal Indian states. Positive.
Indonesia is one of the hardest hit countries, with hundreds of thousands of people dead and missing.
Among those believed missing is Zainal Abidin (also known as Asep) - a policeman who was on night shift when the disaster occurred.
His family reported Asep missing and for 17 years they believed he had died in the tsunami.
However, something magical happened when a photo of Asep was shared on social networks.
Asep's family was shocked to discover that he was still alive, but had been hospitalized in a local mental hospital for many years due to severe psychological trauma after the disaster.
A relative of Asep shared: "I can't believe it. There has been no news for 17 years. We thought he was gone. It's unbelievable he's still alive."
Local police confirmed this information.
A spokesman for the Aceh Provincial Police said that although Asep suffered from mental illness as a result of the tsunami, his family was grateful to see him alive.
According to confirmation from the hospital, Asep was admitted to a mental hospital in 2009, after a man found him wandering on the street.
However, the hospital still does not know where Asep has been for the past 5 years - the period from the time of the tsunami (2004) to the time he was admitted to the hospital (2009).
Asep has now been reunited with his family after nearly two decades of separation.
The 2004 tsunami left deep wounds in Indonesian society. It not only causes loss of life and property but also leaves long-term psychological consequences for many survivors.
However, according to Yahoo News , Asep's case also raises questions about the medical system and notification process for patient families in Indonesia.
The fact that Asep's family was not informed about his condition for the past 17 years is worrying and needs to be thoroughly investigated to avoid similar cases in the future.
