Marcus Keggin, his wife and son were among the thousands missing when the tsunami, triggered by an under sea eathquake, caused devastation and claimed at least 68,000 lives on Boxing Day.

For more than three days Marcus's family were unable to contact the 32-year-old at his home in Unawatuna, south west Sri Lanka – one of the worst-hit areas.

His mum Carol feared the worst after hearing the coastal resort and tiny fishing community had been destroyed by the massive tidal wave. There was no word of Marcus, his wife Asher or their four-year-old son Moreno.

But this morning (Wednesday) her nightmare ended when Marcus phoned his mum's home in Main Road, Kirk Michael.

'They're all all right,' she said. 'The power was off because of what happened so the phone didn't work.'

Marcus, who only returned to his Sri Lanka home in September after six months in the Island, said he found out the power was back on and tried the phone.

'He has been helping other people. They had to go up to the mountains. The side of his house was damaged, but the rest was okay.

'He's got three broken ribs, but he has been very lucky. He said a lot of his friends have been killed.

'I just can't believe it,' she added. 'The past few days have been a nightmare. I couldn't sleep. I just can't believe it – they're all all right.'

Marcus told his mum about the chaos after the huge waves struck the coastal resort, wiping out homes and sweeping people away.

'He was walking to his house when people came running past shouting water, water. He managed to get safely to the house. He was very lucky.'

The earthquake, measuring nine on the Richter scale, set off a tidal wave which hit Sri Lanka, India, Malaysia, Thailand, the Maldives, Indonesia and many other places.

At least 68,000 are dead and many thousands are missing. The death toll is rising all the time.

Lonan couple Peter and Gwen Orrell were swept away by the tidal wave when it smashed into the packed Thai resort of Phuket.

Daughter Donna Dornan said it was hard to piece together what had happened to them from the few brief and emotional calls she has received.

The couple were holidaying in a beachside chalet. It's not clear where they were when the wave struck.

'Both got swept away and were separated for a while and mum got stuck on a roof and was rescued by the military,' Donna, 28, said.

'She can't swim very well and has water on her lungs.

'It's very hard to piece things together when I am on the phone to mum. She got stuck under water at some point and something held her down.'

Peter, 55, head teacher at Cronk-y-Berry Primary School, Douglas, suffered cuts which became infected. He and Gwen, 51, the managing director of Keig's, Douglas, were initially unable to fly because of her condition.

The terrified couple spent Boxing Day in hospital, but were discharged.

'The hospitals are so busy there is no room and they are having to go back to hospital each day,' said Donna, of Farmhill, Braddan, yesterday (Tuesday).

Fortunately the couple had pre-booked to travel inland after a few days at the beachside, so have a room in a hotel a few miles from the devastated area.

Donna hopes the couple, who are travelling independently, might be able to fly home in the next day or so if they are able to secure a flight from Phuket to Bangkok.

The fact they had their passports seized at Bangkok Airport on arrival in Thailand, due to a mistake by immigration officials, who incorrectly believed they needed a visa, might prove one plus point, as all their other possessions were washed away in the tidal wave, said Donna.

'Everything is gone but a Dutch lady lent them a mobile phone so they could call me.'

Ray Kelly, 42, of Castletown, has a lie in to thank for the fact he wasn't on Phuket beach when the tidal wave struck.

The assistant air traffic controller at Ronaldsway Airport is holidaying with Eric Costain, a quantity surveyor from Colby.

Both are safe and well but badly shaken.

Ray has managed to phone his relieved mother Doreen twice and has described the devastation.

Mrs Kelly said: 'The hotel he was in, the water stopped short at the end of the road. They'd had a lie in because they'd had a late night, otherwise they'd have been on the beach.'

She said Ray was offering support to a local girl whose best friend, aged just 20, had been killed and they'd travelled together on Tuesday to pay their last respects to her.

Mrs Kelly said Ray had been traumatised by what he'd witnessed and had described the scenes as 'unbelievable'.

The pair are likely to see out their holiday, returning on January 10.

Friends Helen Needham and Barbara Skillicorn were relaxing at a hotel resort in Krabi, a Thai coastal resort, when the wave hit.

'They were in the middle of it. Barbara was on the beach and Helen was in the hotel room,' said Helen's mother Dorothy McKee, of Ramsey.

Helen and Barbara, both of Ramsey, managed to escape the waves and have travelled to Bangkok. Barbara is due to fly home today while Helen, who runs dress shop Cusha in Ramsey, has been travelling for a month and will return at a later date.

'Helen rang a friend in the middle of the night and left a message to let us know they were all right,' said Dorothy. 'They are so traumatised.

'Helen said the devastation is terrible and people desperately need help. She just hopes people get the help they need. It really is a desperate situation.'

Top Unilever executive Wendy Mayall, whose parents Peter and Rosalie Black live in Douglas, is holidaying in Phuket with husband David and their two teenage children.

Speaking from the Dusit Laguna resort, she said the front of their hotel had been ripped away, but inside and behind the building there was little sign of the disaster.

The family are due to leave Thailand on Sunday.

Other people from the Isle of Man have used any way possible to get messages back home.

Satellite channel Sky News has been carrying messages sent in from the region and among the hundreds of locals getting touch were Simon Harrison, safe in Thailand, and Paul Christopher Wilson, safe in Indonesia.

How to help and other information – see today's Isle of Man Examiner.