First Hand Account: Walking Out of Death Zone in Earthquake China
At 11:50 am BJ time 5/15, we just received via a comment on our earlier post of what appears to be a first-hand account of a 12 hour, 30 kilometre walk by students and teachers from the earthquake danger zone. We are posting the comment exactly as it was left (with a few typos corrected). Min is trying to contact the writer to interview her and to verify the story by phone or email. Stay tuned while we learn more…
Update by Min: I just talked to Zeng Juan (曾娟), an English teacher from 四川理工大学 成都美术学院 (Chengdu College of Fine Art) for about 15 mintues. The following report is an interview done by Juan after 64 students and 3 teachers (冉，钱 and 秦) went back from Tai An (泰安) to Chengdu(成都) safely. Three groups of students, each led by a teacher, went to Tai An town around Qingcheng Mountain (青城山) for outdoor sketch last Sat. (May 10). Supporting each other, 67 students and teachers walked for 12 hours and got back to college at around 9:30 am, 19 hours after the Wenchuan earthquake.
Juan also told me the current status in Chengdu and her college: None of the students in the colleges in Chengdu were hurt by the earthquake itself. But in extreme panic, a few of them got hurt by jumping from second floor of the building. She was at home when the earthquake happened and she thought it was a natual gas tan explosion when she heard huge sound and saw smoke. Currently, most of the local students in her school have gone home and the students from other provinces are staying in the conference hall and art museum of the school. Quan felt very sad about one of her friends who lost his wife in the earthquake. She works in Mian Yang (绵阳). — 6:27pm May 15.
New Long March–Walking Out of Death Zone in Earthquake China (by Juan Zeng)
As a teacher in Chengdu Arts College, Sichuan Technology University, Chengdu, I’d like to report the Long March about my students who had walked out the death zone in earthquake.
After 12 hours walking about 30 kilometres without any food or drink in heavy rain and wind, they escaped from death. Besides this, they helped others to escape. They are my heroes. I’d like to record this for my wonderful students to show my respect. The love is the way to life and hope. (more…)
