The
lorry makes its way slowly along a bumpy road through the rubble
of what once was the village of Gle Gurah village, in the Indonesian
province of Aceh.
The volunteers of the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) are standing
on the platform, struggling to keep their balance. For five
more months the PMI will continue to recover the dead.
We set out early in the morning from the joint PMI and International
Federation building in Banda Aceh and after half an hour’s
drive we reach our destination for the day. More than six weeks
after the tsunami hit the coasts of northern and western Sumatra,
dozens of dead bodies are still being recovered every day by
the PMI volunteers.
As they check their masks and their gloves, it is easy to feel
concern about how these dedicated young volunteers are managing
to deal with the stress they must experience carrying out this
task.
We chat casually – about formula 1 motor racing, football
or tennis - as we drive further down towards the sea. But there
is no mention at all about where we are heading.
After being out with them for only a few hours, one realizes
that they face far greater challenges than the stress.
We all look like astronauts as we trudge through the swampy
fields in our white overalls and green rubber boots. Ironically,
the debris that litters this vast area often helps us to make
our way and not sink deep into the mud. But not always.
From time to time, you have to grab your boots with both hands
and use all your strength to pull your foot up again. It requires
a lot of skill to keep your balance at the same time, otherwise
you risk falling into the swampy black waters.
We reach the village of Gle Gurah, on the outskirts of Banda
Aceh and jump down from the truck’s platform. We pass
some freshly dug graves containing dozens of bodies in body
bags, which have yet to be covered with earth.
The smell is unmistakable and now sadly familiar.
The PMI team spreads out over the area, working in pairs. In
less than 15 minutes, one of the members of the team whistles
and waves. Another body has been found. In less than three hours,
we will find ten more.
Moving around is not very easy and requires a lot of energy
and supreme concentration if you are not to fall down in the
thick mud. But focusing hard on where to place one’s feet
helps keep thoughts of the dead bodies at bay.
The PMI volunteers collect the remains in black plastic bags
and white or yellow body bags.
All the bodies are lying in the open air. In one place we find
four of them. The reason they have not yet been collected before
is that the waters are receding slowly. There are still plenty
of pockets of water in a vast muddy field full of debris and
these places are difficult to access.
This also reveals why distributing relief goods might be difficult.
People who survived the tsunami can be in similar hard to access
places,.
We find a driving license and one of the volunteers puts it
in a plastic bag.
The physical challenge that goes with this activity will postpone
the stress for at least a few hours.
When the team returns at dusk and the volunteers walk into the
building where they will all be disinfected, many of the faces
are weary.
The muddy paddies of Aceh will remain with them for a long time.
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An
Indonesia Red Cross volunteer puts on his mask before
the grim task of retrieving decomposing bodies begins
(p-IDN0256)
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The
PMI volunteers are still retrieving dozens of bodies every
day as they are reveales by he retreating flood waters
(p-IDN0258)
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The
job of collecting is exhausting, both physically and emotionally
(p-IDN0243)
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The
weary team of volunteers returns to the Red Cross offices
in Banda Aceh after their difficult day’s work (p-IDN0234)
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