Cop who was declared dead after 2004 Indonesian tsunami is found ALIVE by his family after he spent 16 years in a psychiatric hospital due to the traumas he witnessed
- Police officer Abrip Asep was on duty when tsunami struck Indonesia in 2004
- His relatives believed he was among the more than 230,000 people killed
- But Asep has been found in a psychiatric hospital and reunited with family
A police officer who was declared dead after the 2004 Indonesian tsunami has been found alive after reportedly having a mental breakdown in the midst of the tragedy and ending up in a psychiatric hospital for the past 16 years.
Abrip Asep was on duty when the Indian Ocean tsunami struck Indonesia on Boxing Day in 2004, his family said.
His relatives were heartbroken after they believed he was among the more than 230,000 people who had been killed when waves up to 100ft high swept in over Southeast Asia.
But by a stroke of luck, Asep has been found and reunited with his family after nearly two decades apart, according to local media.
Police officer Abrip Asep who was declared dead after the 2004 Indonesian tsunami has been found alive after reportedly having a mental breakdown in the midst of the tragedy and ending up in a psychiatric hospital for the past 16 years. Pictured: Asep before he went missing (left), and Asep now in the psychiatric hospital (right)
Abrip Asep was on duty when the Indian Ocean tsunami struck Indonesia on Boxing Day in 2004, his family said. Pictured: The aftermath of the tsunami in Aceh, Indonesia
Asep was found in a psychiatric hospital in Aceh province, Indonesia, after suffering from mental health issues due to the traumas he witnessed during the tsunami.
He had been reported missing by his family after the natural disaster hit Indonesia’s westernmost province of Aceh, and was later declared dead.
But his relatives said they made the shock discovery that Asep was still alive in recent weeks after photos were shared on a family group chat on social media.
A relative said: ‘I couldn’t believe it, 17 years of no news and we thought that he passed away, we didn’t know he was still alive.’
Asep (left) was found in a psychiatric hospital in Aceh province, Indonesia, after suffering from mental health issues due to the traumas he witnessed during the tsunami
The local police confirmed that the man found in the psychiatric hospital was Abrip, reported as missing during the tsunami and later declared dead.
A spokesperson for the Aceh Regional Police said: ‘Even though he is experiencing mental illness due to the tsunami, his family is very grateful to have found him alive.’
It is unclear why his family were not notified he was in the psychiatric hospital.
The archipelago nation of Indonesia was the worst hit country in Southeast Asia when the Indian Ocean earthquake was followed by a tsunami on December 26, 2004.
The archipelago nation of Indonesia was the worst hit country in Southeast Asia when the Indian Ocean earthquake was followed by a tsunami on December 26, 2004. Pictured: The aftermath of the tsunami in the coastal area of Banda Aceh, Indonesia
The tsunami was the effect of an underwater earthquake just after 1am on Boxing Day, the third largest earthquake ever recorded on a seismograph, with a magnitude of 9.0-9.3.
The gigantic water movement that followed saw waves of up to 100ft hit the coasts of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand.
Indonesia was seriously affected by the tsunami, suffering at least 167,000 casualties, a number which is thought to be closer to 200,000.
But it is unlikely that this will ever be confirmed as thousands of bodies could never be recovered as they were swept out to sea by the powerful waves.