Updated November 11th, 2020 at 17:58 IST

'The Impossible' real family; Know all about the Belon family

'The Impossible' is a movie based on the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Read to know more about the real family the story is based on.

Reported by: Arundhati Vivek
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The Impossible, released in 2012, is a movie based on the real-life events that took place during the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, but the family whose story is depicted is also a real family. The Belon – Alvarez family was in Thailand for their Christmas Holidays, on December 26, 2004, when the unfortunate event took place. Read on to know more about the family and their story.

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About Maria Belon and her family 

Maria Belon and Enrique Alvarez with their three kids were staying at the Orchid Resort Hotel in Thailand, on December 26, 2005. Belon, who is a doctor, was reading a book at the poolside as she saw her kids and their father have a fun time in the water. She said in a 2017 interview with Mirror that while she was facing the sea and saw a huge black wall and she did not think it was the see; it was like a black wall was coming to get her and the others. And within moments the hotel was swept underwater.

Maria Belon managed to stay close to her eldest son, and the two of them got through the 500 mph waves as they clung to a tree. The two were then rescued by a local Thai man and reveals that she thought that both her other children and husband were killed. However, Enrique and the two younger boys were alive and the family met sometime later at a hospital.

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Where is the Belon – Alvarez family now?

Maria has continued to work as a doctor while also working as an advocate for survivors who are still recovering from the disaster. Enrique works with the refugees who arrive in Greece. In an interview with People in 2013, Belon said that the family gathers at the beach on December 26, every year. She says that this is a 'commitment' that the family has made forever, 'to be close to the souls that passed away in the unfortunate event.'

All three boys have committed their lives for the service of people, with the eldest Lucas who is studying medicine at the University College in London. In 2020, he worked as a frontline worker during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thomas studied Science, Technology, and International Affairs at Georgetown University and looks after early tsunami warning systems. Simon, who is the youngest, is still in school, and both the younger children are trained as lifeguards.

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Published November 11th, 2020 at 17:58 IST