Brothers who survived 2004 tsunami to open Sri Lanka children’s home

Two brothers orphaned in the St Stephen’s Day tsunami 10 years ago are set to open a children’s home dedicated to their parents in the country they lost their lives.

Robert and Paul Forkan were in Sri Lanka with their father Kevin, mother Sandra, and two younger siblings when the 9.1-magnitude earthquake struck in the Indian Ocean, triggering deadly tidal waves which battered coastlines across Asia.

Robert, who was 17 at the time, survived the disaster along with Paul, then 15, brother Mattie, 12, and 8-year-old sister Rosie, but their parents were killed.

Now, a decade later, the older brothers are preparing to officially open a children’s home in Mau Gama, Sri Lanka, in the new year, with funding from their own flip flop business, Gandys.

Robert, now 27, said that St Stephen’s Day would be “slightly more poignant” this year on the 10th anniversary of the disaster.

“We spend Boxing Day differently every year,” he said.

“Some years we’ve been out in India volunteering, some years we’ve had a family one in the UK.

“Every day we’ve had to live with it for the last 10 years but it will be slightly more poignant.

“For us that happened 10 years ago, but to be now building our own children’s home, at least something positive will come from it,” Robert added.

The Forkan family were woken on St Stephen’s Day in 2004 by screams and huge waves tearing through their hotel rooms.

Kevin, 54, and Sandra, 40, struggled against the mass of water to put their two youngest children on to the roof of the hotel building.

Robert managed to climb up the building and grab a metal bar, while clutching Paul with his other arm.

That morning would be the last time they saw their parents.