Girl reunited with family after 2004 tsunami in Indonesia

Meri Yulanda had been swept away by a tsunami in 2004 but was reunited with her family after being found in a café in Meulaboh, Aceh.

All the young girl could remember was the name of her grandfather, Ibrahim but someone at the café fortunately knew the man and got in contact.

Yulanda was freed last week after being found, beaten and forced to work as a beggar.

The tsunami which struck the village of Ujong Baroh on the Aceh coast had killed around 230,000 people in total.

Yulanda’s mother Yusnidar Yulanda had given up  hope on finding her daughter but immediately recognised Meri by birthmarks on her belly, as well as a mole and scar on her face. Reunions are rare and thousands of families never discovered what had found out what had happened to their loved ones with thousands of bodies never being recovered following the tsunami