Man who survived the ‘deadliest tsunami in history’ explains how his injuries saved his life

Andrew Chaggar compared being dragged underwater with the debris to 'being in a washing machine full of nails'

A man who was 'completely at the mercy' of the Boxing Day tsunami has told how he believes his horror injuries actually saved his life.

Andrew Chaggar miraculously survived the natural disaster in 2004 that tragically killed 220,000 people across Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Somalia – including his 'wonderful' partner Nova.

The couple had taken a year off to explore the world and after travelling through China, Vietnam and Cambodia, they fatefully decided to spend the Christmas period in Thailand in a beachfront bungalow.

Andrew courageously opened up about his story of survival and the loss of Nova while speaking to LADbible Stories in a new episode of Minutes With.

He detailed how the dream trip they had spent a number of years saving up for turned into a nightmare after ferocious waves smashed into their accommodation in Khao Lak and swept them away.

Andrew, who was 27 at the time, recalled how the row of bungalows were 'took down like dominoes' after the first wave of the Indian Ocean tsunami hit.

He described how the homes began to 'violently' shake, while he could hear a noise comparable to a 'jet engine building up for takeoff' – adding that Nova 'looked quite scared' when he glanced over at her for the final time.

"I literally remember being in the bungalow and, the next minute, basically waking up in the water," Andrew told Minutes With. "It was almost like being in a washing machine full of nails.

"There was this incredibly strong current, and there was just no way to swim against it. I was completely at its mercy.

"And then there was all the wreckage from the bungalows themselves. In the water, there was metal, glass, bricks, probably whole cars and things like that. It was that powerful."

Andrew was then repeatedly 'turned over and over' by the force of the waves, which 'dragged him along' and away from the row of bungalows.

"At one point, I managed to surface, but almost immediately, I think an oil drum hit me in the head," he continued. "That's what caused the scar on my head, and it knocked me back under the water.

"I surfaced again, and the wave had started washing me inland. I was basically dragged through what was basically a building site for a hotel.

"At that point, it was just the concrete floors and the columns that were in place, so there were no walls."

While he was hauled through the construction site, Andrew's left leg suddenly became pinned against a concrete pillar due to the debris in the water.

"That's what caused the worst of my injuries," the dad-of-two said. "But I think it's fundamentally what saved my life."

Andrew believes that a worse fate would have awaited him if his leg had not become trapped, as he suspects the waves would have dragged him back out of the site and catapulted him directly into the bay.

"I've seen videos of Khao Lak on the day of the tsunami, and there were these huge whirlpools going on," he said. "I think that's what also caused a lot of people to drown – being out in the bay when all that was happening.

"So, although it caused the worst of my injuries, I think that's fundamentally why I'm alive today."

Being stuck there was still an 'incredibly frightening' experience, as Andrew explained he had never 'even heard the word tsunami at that point, so had no idea what had happened'.

Moments later, he began to hear the same haunting noise he had heard that morning – and the second wave then struck and he feared that due to his injuries, he would not be able to survive this one.

Explaining how he dodged death, Andrew went on: "I watched the wave come in, but again, I was incredibly lucky because, as it came in, it rose and probably stopped about six inches – about 15 centimetres – below where I was.

"Had it come any higher, it probably would have taken me with it. But the second wave came in, rose up almost to where I was and then, thankfully, dropped away without taking me."

As well as sustaining 'terrible' injuries to his legs, he also broke his collarbone. Andrew spent around four hours in the construction site while being 'incredibly worried' about where Nova was, before he was eventually rescued from his ordeal by a pair of 'incredibly brave' strangers.

He explained the mental toll of the Indian Ocean tsunami was much greater than the physical, as he came to terms with the fact that Nova was gone, while he had witnessed scenes that he resembled a 'war zone'.

Six months after the natural disaster, he was informed that Nova had been confirmed dead through a partial DNA match, which left him in 'a pretty dark place for a long time'.

He said his healing journey has taken years and is still ongoing – but he bravely decided to return to Thailand as he had a 'very strong urge to go back and help'.

Andrew's experience inspired him to go back to university and do a master's degree in international development, with a focus on disaster response, before he later launched the charity, International Disaster Volunteers (IDV).

He now works for another charity and is an inspirational speaker. He has since got married and had two children, while he also remains 'incredibly close with Nova's parents'.

"I'm in this position now where my kids call Nova's parents Grandma and Granddad," Andrew added. "That, to me, is just amazing. I feel incredibly lucky that they're family.

"They are family. There's no question about it, and I feel very lucky that relationship is there.

"Obviously, as part of that, Nova is always part of our lives."

Olivia is a journalist at LADbible Group with more than five years of experience and has worked for a number of top publishers, including News UK. She also enjoys writing food reviews (as well as the eating part). She is a stereotypical reality TV addict, but still finds time for a serious documentary.

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