A YOUNG York couple who tied the knot in Sri Lanka - three months after the tsunami devastated the country - have told how they were made to feel like "royalty" by the people whose lives had been wrecked by the natural disaster.

Amy Thornton, 21, and Gareth Franklin, 25, were one of the first Western couples to marry there in the wake of the tidal wave disaster.

As news of the Boxing Day tsunami broke, it looked like the couple's marriage plans would have to be changed amid the uncertainty.

But they jetted out to a beach resort south of Colombo - and today revealed how Sri Lankans were delighted to see tourists heading back to the country, where a massive rebuilding process is continuing.

Gareth, a joiner from the Haxby Road area, said: "We found out that six feet of water had rushed through the main reception of our hotel.

"They had one hour's notice and managed to move people and belongings upstairs so, luckily, nobody was injured."

Southern and eastern coastlines in Sri Lanka were ravaged by the tsunami. Homes, crops and boats were wrecked and it is estimated at least 400,000 people lost jobs.

At least 31,000 people were known to have died and the homeless total has been estimated at between 800,000 and one million.

Gareth said in the area where they stayed "everyone was just trying to make a living again".

He added: "We were not in the worst hit areas, but when we went out on a boat tour, we were the first people to use it since the tsunami.

"Further down the street there were homes that had just been knocked down by the waves, but there were still people living in them and feeding children.

Gareth's mum, Janet Franklin, of Shipton, said the Sri Lankan's reaction to tourists was "fantastic". She said: "They treated us like royalty in the hotel. Everyone was giving us flowers."

But she said a trip to the urban area of Galle revealed the town to be "devastated".

She continued: "There was a refugee camp with no proper tents, just plastic sheeting covering the frames."

The remains of two carriages of a train struck by the powerful waves, killing 800 people, revealed the damage wreaked only weeks earlier. Moves are under way to turn the carriages into a memorial.

Mrs Franklin, who runs a nursery at RAF Linton-on-Ouse, said she was struck by the resilient mood in Sri Lanka.

"People were just getting on with things and making the most of what little they had," she said. "I couldn't believe how people were just getting on with their lives.

"It made us feel so humble."

Updated: 10:12 Friday, April 08, 2005