EVANSTON, Ill., Dec. 27 (UPI) -- The family of an Evanston, Ill., man vacationing in Thailand when the country was hit by a powerful tsunami Sunday are hoping for word about their missing son.
Ben Abels was with a college friend on the island of Phi Phi when 20-foot walls of water swept over the Royal Princess resort washing away the guest bungalows.
His friend, Libby North, was trapped in rubble. She lost a hand and her leg was crushed. She was airlifted to the resort of Phuket but there was no word on the whereabouts of Ables.
His father, mother and brother joined Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., Monday in requesting more information from the U.S. State Department on the fate of Americans caught in the disaster. Ables' brother asked President Bush to send U.S. troops to Thailand to help. The president has authorized a $15 million emergency aid package.
"If he's alive and not hurt he's on the beach helping other people," said Hope Ables, his mother. "Anything you can do, please bring him home."
Ables, a real estate broker, was making three-week trip to Asia and was scheduled to head home the day after Christmas.
An undersea quake registering 9.0 on the Richter Scale triggered the tsunami that killed more than 23,000 in Thailand, India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and five other countries.
