Escaping tsunami by a whisker

BANGALORE: The Das family members from Bangalore literally rode clear of the killer tsunami that was thundering into their Velankanni lodge during a holiday last week.
A.A. Das, assistant manager with Bosch power tools, MICO, Bangalore, had just checked out of the lodge but was delayed by wife Mallika, sons Prabhu (21) and Pradeep (18) who were yet to saunter out.
That delay, in hindsight, saved them from the devouring mouth of the tsunami. They had hopped into the car to drive towards the sea when they heard a commotion with fishermen screaming: "Seawater is rushing in, run, run!" Hundreds of people just watched on — stunned, dazed. In no time, a larger group of people was running away from the shore helter-skelter.
At a loss to realise the enormity of the situation, the Das family jumped out of the car and made a dash towards the lodge. The manager motioned them to the terrace where some 40 frightened people were "praying aloud". Suddenly, a huge wave roared past, eating up the road and a large swathe of the beach. The ferocious sea had silenced all else. And there was water every where.
After a while, the water receded. Das said: "As we prepared to leave, there were rumours of a turbulent sea. Water subsided only to rise again suddenly. Then the manager asked us to go over to the terrace. It was 11.30 am. At that time, I could hear the car''s burglar alarm going off. The nearby river was swollen. We finally left the place around 12.45."
Four others joined them on their drive back to Bangalore. Four bloated bodies hit their vehicle as they swerved past. "We thanked god. Even if we had left the lodge a few minutes early, we''d not have been here to tell this story."