A Durban couple whose honeymoon on the Thai island of Phi Phi was shattered by the tsunami were being treated for injuries in the Umhlanga Hospital on Thursday.
Sean and Lindsay Caporzorio are suffering from multiple injuries and septicaemia after swallowing contaminated water when the giant wave swept them through the streets of the popular holiday destination and into the ruins of a building.
Umhlanga Hospital General Manager Niresh Bachan said on Thursday that their condition was improving.
"We put them in a private ward to help them cope with the trauma and make it as comfortable as possible," he said.
Lindsay said she and her husband felt safe now they were home.
"We were gasping for breath while the water level rose dramatically, and we were washed out again. At this time, we got separated," she said.
"While I splashed in the water, trying to cling on to anything, I hurt my fingers. I also swallowed a lot of water which contained petrol and diesel. I just seemed to be buffeted by the fast-flowing wave. Fortunately, two men saw me."
"I was yanked out of the water by them. They could not help my husband who, by this time, had clung to a tree trunk, which washed him further down the island," she said.
Eventually, she made her way back to the hotel and found some of the guests standing on the roof.
"It seemed that my husband was lost. I was sick and hurt," she said.
Several hours later, she saw her husband clamber on to the roof.
"You have no idea the joy and relief. We are newly married, and I am three months pregnant. This holiday was our honeymoon, and we came very close to a disastrous end."
"We dared not move off the roof. We had no food or water. No toilets. We had to just wait. It was not until the morning that speedboats and helicopters arrived to take us to the mainland," she said.