An eight-year-old boy has spoken about his survival after being swept away by the flash floods which have devastated the Solomon Islands.

Isiah Andrew was carried out to sea in the raging torrent and stayed afloat by climbing onto a piece of debris.

He had travelled with his family from Choiseul to spend the school break with his sister’s family in Honiara, two to three kilometres up the Matanikau River, and was sitting on a ladder when the river suddenlsurged through the riverbank community.

Andrew told his harrowing tale to UNICEF worker Atenia Tahu, who translated his words.

“By the time the house was about to collapse I was holding onto a coconut tree with my brother in-law,” he said.

“I could not run anywhere because the house was surrounded with water and there were pieces of metal and scraps all over the place crushing against each other.

He saw the house falling and let go of the trunk, fearing it might collapse on him.

“The house then was detached and that is when I let go and dove down into the water.”

Isiah knew he had no choice but to swim with the current and swim fast.

“The worst part was seeing the boy letting go of the coconut tree and disappearing into the water,” a neighbour said.

He remembered next holding on to a tree trunk to keep his head out of the water with the river rising rapidly.

“I was trying my best to hold on to the coconut tree trunk but the current was so strong, pieces of metal, grass, mud, and plastics were all over me,” he said.

A person nearby could see the boy but they could not reach him, and they told of seeing Isiah disappear under the water.

Isiah said he could do nothing.

“All that time, I kept thinking of my mom and dad and that’s why I regained my strength.”

He said he decided to swim with the current and the debris.

“I kept on saying in my mind swim, swim, swim, and don’t stop,” he said.

Then he came to a bridge that was level with the water.

He took a deep breath and duck-dived under it.

“The bridge was right in front of me so I had no other option but to quickly dive again because if I didn’t the flood would have smashed me into the bridge.”

When he came up on the other side he swam towards a log and drifted out to sea.

“I looked back to land and I could see both ends of Honiara from White River to Lungga,” Isiah said.

“I then tried as much as possible to stay alive.”

After several hours in the open ocean, a fishing boat spotted Isaiah. Those on board tossed him a rope and brought him home.

Isiah is one of the lucky ones. His nieces, nephew and grandfather are among the hundreds missing.

All that is left of his sister’s home is the cement foundation, with other family members now sheltering in a relative’s home.