CAMPBELL BAY, Feb 15 (UNI): Eighteen-year-old Jessie who was rescued 36 days after the killer tsunami struck this archipelago, had survived only on jackfruit and water.
Talking to a group of visiting journalists, who accompanied Home Minister Shivraj Patil on a visit to the islands last weekend, Jessie spoke about her ordeal in the thick jungles of Nicobar through her tribal interpreter.
"The monstorous tidal waves devoured my husband Hubert, and my nine-month-old son, while I was thrown into the thick jungles," said Jessie, still unable to recover from the nightmare.
"I survived only on water and jackfruit....
But those days were hell," she said at a relief camp.
Touched by her plight, Patil immediately took out Rs 1000 from his wallet and handed it to her.
He also requested the tribal chief to take special care of her.
Jessie is among the ten Nicobarese rescued by the multi-disciplinary team of the Andaman and Nicobar Administration more than a month after the December 26 tsunami ravaged the archipelago.
Lt Governor Ram Kapse appealed to the dedicated team to trek the jungles to look for three Bhubaneshwar-based scientists who are still missing.
"We believe they are still alive as their group which conducted research on marine life was quite familiar with the topography of the islands," an official involved in search operations, said.