Baby 81 incident

Who is Baby 81 incident?

The Baby 81 incident was a widely reported parental identity dispute about a baby who survived the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and became an emblem of the effect of the disaster on the families involved. Many of the details in initial reports of the events were subsequently disputed.

The baby, around 2 months old, was reportedly found on the beach of the town of Kalmunai on the day of the disaster, 26 December 2004, in the midst of debris caused by the tsunami. Kalmunai is located in Ampara district on the east coast of Sri Lanka, approximately 180 miles east of Colombo. No relatives were found in the vicinity, so he was taken to Kalmunai hospital. He was said to be the 81st victim taken to that hospital after the tsumani hit Sri Lanka, and so named Baby 81.

After remaining unclaimed for several days, nine couples were reported to have said that the child was theirs, although this was later disputed. After initial attempts to take custody of the baby were blocked by the hospital, the Jeyarajah family took legal action to prove the baby's identity, claiming that he was their four-month-old son, Abhilasha. They described how the boy had slipped from his mother's arms when the waves hit, and how the documents of his birth, along with all their other possessions, were washed away in the disaster.