Shahputra waves as he floats in the  Indian Ocean in this picture taken by the captain of the ship that rescued him. (AP)

PORT KLANG, PENANG, January 5 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – A 20-year-old Acehnese was stranded at sea for nine days, with no food or drink, a 115-year-old Centenarian great grandmother was on the beach when the giant waves hit, and a 24-year-old Acehnese woman stayed clinging on to a palm trunk for five days.

They all survived, unlike over 150,000 others that have so far been confirmed killed by the killer tidal waves that swept triggered by a 9.0 magnitude underwater earthquake – the world’s biggest earthquake in 40 years – which struck deep in the Indian Ocean off the west coast of Indonesia’s Sumatra Island on December 26.

Nine Days at Sea

Rizal Shahputra, 20, who was rescued by a container ship Tuesday, January 4, after drifting for nine days in the Indian Ocean, was taken on shore Wednesday, January 5.

Shahputra, of Jalan A Jaja, Meulaboh, Acheh Barat, arrived to Portklang on board “Durban Bridge”, from South Africa, which docked at Berth 21 of the North Port at 7 am, according to the Malaysian Bernama news agency.

He was rescued by the ship's crew at 5.20 pm (Aceh time) at about 100 nautical miles from Aceh.

Shahputra was cleaning a mosque in Banda Aceh on Sumatra island December 26 when screaming children rushed in to warn him about the tsunami, but the surging waves swept them out to sea before they could escape.

When met by reporters, Rizal said he managed to cling on to an uprooted tree while praying for his survival after the giant wave struck his village.

“I did not eat anything. I also recited the prayers to withstand hunger,” he said.

Rizal, who had just completed schooling, was found in the waters east of Sumatra, parallel to Banda Aceh, the worst hit area where thousands of lives have been lost.

Rizal, who arrived home with 20 crewmen of Durban Bridge skippered by Capt Liu Xiang Ping, only complained of cuts and swellings on both legs.

He said when the tsunami struck, he and several friends were repairing the village mosque.

“At first, children in the area shouted... 'lari bang, ombak!' (run brother, waves coming!). I ran but I saw my parents were unable to save themselves,” he said.

He ran into a two-storey store nearby but when the waters got as high as 15 metres, he was washed away along with several others.

“I saw many people around me being carried away by the waters and at that time I held on to an uprooted tree to help me to float.

“If my parents have died... I will have to accept it. What else can I say,” he said tearfully.

When asked how he managed to cling on to the uprooted tree for over a week, Rizal said the strength came from Allah who allowed him to stay alive.

He added two days before he was found, a man who kept him company in the waters, disappeared.

Rizal was taken to Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital in Klang for treatment.

Medical officer at the hospital's emergency ward, Dr Anna Letchumi Rajaretnam, told Bernama Rizal's condition was stable but weak.

“He does not suffer any serious injury. Only cuts on the body especially on both legs.

“In the meantime, he will be warded and is expected to recover in a week,” Dr Anna told Bernama.

Indonesian Embassy's Third Secretary Rizaldi Ishak said follow-up treatment would be given to Rizal so that he could fully recover spiritually while other matters would be dealt with later.

“Looking at his condition, we can see that he does not suffer serious injuries. At the moment, we leave it to the hospital to treat his injuries,” he said.

Oldest Survivor

Wan Zainab has not only survived the Japanese Occupation but also the killer waves.

Centenarian Wan Zainab Wan Abdullah has not only survived the Japanese Occupation of her island but also the recent quake-triggered killer tsunami.

The 115-year-old great grandmother, probably the country’s oldest tsunami survivor, was sitting as usual with her grandchildren and great grandchildren at the Tanjung Bungah beach on that fateful day, according to Malaysian daily the Star.

“We were waiting for my fisherman son to return home in his sampan. Suddenly, we saw a beautiful white line of foam in the horizon. To our horror, we saw fishing boats overturning and the waves seemed to grow in size and momentum,” she said in an interview Tuesday.

Her grandson Mohd Zani A. Ghani, 26, said he and his wife immediately led Wan Zainab by hand like a child to safety.

“Everything was chaotic but our first thought was bringing my grandmother to safety. She may be healthy but she is frail.”

“When she heard the warning shouts and saw everyone running to higher grounds, she shuffled her feet faster and miraculously not a drop of sea water touched her,” he said, adding that the tidal waves damaged windows, doors and furniture of seven houses. The seawater was knee-high in their living rooms at the height of the tsunami.

She is among 120 victims from 31 families still taking shelter at Tanjung Bungah school relief center.

Surviving one of earth’s worst natural disasters in recorded human history was not, however, what Wan Zainab considered her worst experiences. She told the paper said she could recall much worse trauma she had gone through during the Japanese Occupation.

“During World War Two, I remember eating tapioca leaves just to survive. Times were hard then and the only thing that kept us going was our will to live,” she said.

Wan Zainab said she settled in Tanjung Bungah years ago when she and her husband sailed in a small sampan from Kampung Taba, a border town in Thailand, to Penang.

“As fishing was our livelihood, we settled down on the shores of Tanjung Bungah,” she said at her temporary tent in the school compound.

Wan Zainab has 10 children and dozens of grandchildren and great grandchildren. Three of her children had died. While resting at the relief center, Wan Zainab said she hoped her daughter in Ipoh, who was cross with her, would call on her.

Another Survivor

Shah Putra speaks to journalists inside the ambulance. (AP)

On Monday, January 3, a tuna trawler belonging to a Malaysian company brought in to Batu Maung, Penang, a 24-year-old Acehnese woman named Melawati who was rescued from the  Indian Ocean where she had clung on to a palm trunk for five days.

Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim country with 238 million people, had the largest loss of life in the disaster that struck 12 countries around the Indian Ocean.

Aceh, where more than 94,000 people, and the western coast of the  island of Sumatra took a double hit from the 9.0 undersea earthquake nearby and the huge tsunami it spawned.

The tsunami then spread for thousands of miles, hitting countries in South Asia and Africa.