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Samantha Hayes ReportingA Utah family vacationing in Thailand found themselves in the middle of the disaster over the weekend. They are now looking among the dead for one of their loved ones.
This is a beloved family-- Stu Breisch is a doctor at local hospital, his three children attended Skyline high school. They traveled to Thailand for a much anticipated vacation, but found themselves touched by tragedy for the second time in as many months.
Joni Glynn, the aunt of the missing girl, talked to us after speaking on KCPW radio. The Emerald Beach and Resort in Khao Lak, Thailand looked like paradise and it was for a couple of days.
Joni Glynn: “This was his big trip to take his family.”
When the tsunami hit Sunday morning Stu Breisch was on a dive boat with his girlfriend and oldest daughter. His son JaiRam and younger daughter Kali were sleeping in a bungalow.
Joni Glynn: “He went to the door and as he opened it, the wall of water came and crashed through their bungalow.”
JaiRam, already injured from a car accident in October, found his way out.
Joni Glynn: “He managed to keep his head above water and handle the water. Got hit by a tree, fractured his shoulder, and was able to get on the back of a pickup truck to a medical center.”
He reconnected with his father and Shonti, his older sister. But Kali is still missing. That news is reaching friends back at home.
Bobby Sakaki, Jai's friend: “You can’t describe it, you just feel sick to your stomach.”
Bobby Sakaki grew close to the family after surviving the car accident with JaiRam.
Bobby Sakaki: “Jai, amazing musician. Kali, amazing gymnast. Shonti, amazing dancer.”
For the time being, Joni Glynn says her brother-in-law will stay in Khao Lak until he finds his daughter.
Joni Glynn: “He said he’s just looked at hundreds of bodies trying to find her. This family has been through a lot. It’s hard; I wish somebody could find Kali.”
Glynn says Stu Breisch's girflfriend also survived. She is staying in the Bangkok hospital with Jai as he recovers.
