10 Year Old Girl Saves Dozens From Tsunami

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10 Year Old Girl Saves

Dozens From Tsunami

The Sun - UK

1-1-5

 

PHUKET, Thailand - Quick-thinking 10-year-old Tilly Smith is being

hailed as a hero after saving her parents and dozens of fellow

vacationers from the deadly tsunami - thanks to a school geography

lesson.

 

Tilly warned the doubting adults at a resort that a massive tidal

wave was about to strike - just minutes before the deadly tide

rushed in and turned the resort into rubble.

 

Tilly's family, from Surrey, England, was enjoying a day at Maikhao

Beach last Sunday when the sea rushed out and began to bubble.

 

The adults were curious, but Tilly froze in horror.

 

"Mummy, we must get off the beach now!" she told her mother.

 

"I think there's going to be a tsunami."

 

The adults didn't understand until Tilly added the magic words:

 

"A tidal wave."

 

Her warning spread like wildfire. Within seconds, the beach was

deserted - and it turned out to be one of the only places along the

shores of Phuket

 

where no one was killed or seriously injured.

 

Last night, Tilly was being hailed as a savior.

 

"I think it's phenomenal that Tilly's parents and the others on the

beach are alive because she studied hard at school," said Craig

Smith , the American manager of the JW Marriott Hotel where Tilly's

family was staying.

 

He said a tsunami is not like you see in the movies, where a huge

wave wells up on the horizon and can be seen for miles off shore.

 

It is more like a sudden surge of water," he said. "There's very

little warning.

 

She's a hero."

 

Tilly shrugged off the attention and modestly said, "Last term, my

geography teacher, Mr. Kearney, taught us about earthquakes and how

they can cause tsunamis.

 

"I was on the beach, and the water started to go funny.

 

"I recognized what was happening and had a feeling there was going

to be a tsunami."

 

"When the water went back, I was like most people on the beach. I

wanted to walk down and look at what was going on," she

recalled. "It was only when Tilly explained what she thought was

going to happen that I had second thoughts.

 

"We ran off the beach as fast as we could and went to the first

floor of the hotel where it would be safe. Minutes later the water

surged right over the beach and demolished everything in its path.

 

"It was terrifying to watch but I'm very proud of her."

 

The Sun newspaper