Soffie Modin, a survivor of the tragic 2004 tsunami that claimed thousands of lives, has shared her harrowing story of her survival after 19 years
Modin was on vacation on Phi Phi Islands in Thailand with her then-fiancé Magnus, his brother and another friend when the massive tsunami struck on December 26, 2004.
"We only heard a sound, like a really loud sound. No people screaming, nothing like that, just like a train was coming.” she told PEOPLE.
The powerful waves swept away the whole group including Modin, who found herself alone, buried under debris for hours.
"I had nerve damage in my leg because it was like a big woody thing was pressuring into my stomach. So down there at that moment, I thought I would lose my leg totally,” she recounted.
However, Eventually, Modin was rescued and reunited with Magnus, but his brother was killed. It took her eight months in the hospital and home care to recover. But she ultimately realized she needed to embrace her "second chance" in life — "grateful to be alive."
Eventually, she was rescued and reunited with Magnus, but his brother could not make it and tragically lost his life.
Modin then spent eight months in the hospital and home care to recover.
"Maybe it's hard [for the younger generation] to understand that it wasn't so easy," she added.
To note, the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami killed more than 2,30,000 people in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand and nine other countries.
