Tsunami Survivor’s Football Found in Alaska

Japanese teenager Misaki Murakami survived the earthquake in March 2011.

 

But the subsequent tsunami swept his house away and the 16-year old boy lost all of his personal possessions.

 

Until now.

 

A technician thousands of kilometres away at a radar station on Alaska's remote Middleton Island has discovered Murakami's treasured soccer ball.

 

Misaki Murakami, 16-years-old Tsunami survivor and owner of recovered soccer ball saying: 

 

"I would never have imagined that my soccer ball could have travelled thousands of kilometres and made it all the way to Alaska. I was shocked but also I have yet to recover even one of my personal belongings, so I'm really happy about this."

 

The ball, which he had since elementary school, holds special meaning for Murakami: it was signed by his friends and a teacher who wrote a message wishing him luck when he transferred to a new school.

 

Much debris set adrift by the tsunami has been found by beachcombers and clean-up crews in Alaska and the Pacific northwest, but Murakami's soccer ball stood out because it had identifying information.

 

Misaki Murakami, 16-years-old Tsunami survivor and owner of recovered soccer ball saying: 

"I want to say thank you very much for taking the time to do all that in recovering it."