Friday, June 26, 2009

Mianzhu (China), May 23,2008 (Xinhua) A team of firemen were digging out survivors from a collapsed teaching block at a school when they were ordered to withdraw as an aftershock jolted the debris. Some shouted that they had found other child survivors, and tried to rush back to the site, but suddenly it collapsed. “Please let me save one more! I can save another one, please!” A young fireman who saved a child minutes ago fell on his knees, crying out desperately while others tried to drag him away to safety.

But there was really nothing left but to cry, watching another big cement slabs falling down from the debris.

It was a scene in Mianzhu county of southwest China’s Sichuan province, 80 km from Wenchuan county, the epicentre of an 8.0 magnitude earthquake that jolted most of China and even some neighbouring countries May 12.

A fifth-grader, Zhang Li, was sitting in front of the door of the collapsed classroom shouting: “Help me, uncles!” Beside him lay the remains of his classmates. In another ruin, a boy crushed under floorboards stretched out his fingers — and kept groaning.

In Xuankou Middle School of Wenchuan, student Wang Song had been waiting for two days after the tremor. He was desperate until he saw two helicopters hovering above his head, dropping biscuits, mineral water and ham.

“I saw hope at that moment,” said Wang Song, “Some fellow students hailed loudly, some others cried out. Everyone was excited.”