Photo taken on October 27, 2009 shows Primali Surasena with her classmates. Five years after losing her father in the Indian Ocean tsunami that killed more than 35,000 people and displaced half a million others in Sri Lanka, 14-year-old Primali Surasena has become a healthy and bright girl. She rebuilds her life with the help of others, and her story of rescuing a three-month-old infant in the tsunami is still being told.  "I was watching a cricket match on TV when I heard a big noise outside and I asked my sister to see what was happening," Primali, now a 14-year-old girl recalled what happened on the dreadful morning of Dec. 26, 2004. Before getting an answer from her sister, the strong waves struck Primali's house, about 100 meters away from the beach. "I was rushed by the sea water to my neighbor Deva Malkanthi's house and found her three-month-old son Kositha Senal Chandana was trapped inside the house," said Primali, who was only nine years old when the tsunami came. A good swimmer, Premali put the infant in a wooden box to keep him floating on the water. A cousin of Kositha helped Premali break one window of the house and escape from the house. When the waves receded, Premali held the baby and ran towards higher lands, fearing another wave might come soon. On their way of escaping, the bridge had been broken by the tsunami. Some adults helped them cross a small river by ropes and Primali handed over the baby to an adult. The life of the baby was saved. Primali kept running for about two hours to reach a safe place as the waves went into the land about 2 km in her hometown of Thotagamuwa, about 90 km south of the capital Colombo. When the scattered family members reunited, they could not find Primali's father N. H. Surasena, who was resting at home when the tsunami came. Two days later, the body of her father was found, along with hundreds of dead bodies. "Time is the best therapy," said Primali, who likes singing, dancing, playing the melodica and volleyball, apart from getting high marks in her study. Although life is not easy for the family, Primali keeps her dream. "I want to be a dancing teacher when I grow up," said Primali. [Xinhua]

Photo taken on November 2, 2009 shows Primali Surasena plays with her nephew. [Xinhua]