A village overwhelmed by grief after deadly landslide
Source: Xinhua |
January 14, 2013, Monday
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Print Edition
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WANG Faxian collapsed in tears when the last of her 14 family members' bodies was recovered from the muddy debris.
Though she knew the odds were slim for those trapped in a landslide that hit her village in southwest China's Yunnan Province on Friday, she held out hope that her worst nightmare wouldn't come true.
"I realized that something very big had happened when I heard a loud 'bang'," Wang said. "But I never thought I would lose all of them."
Wang lost her parents, as well as several of her brothers and in-laws. She was in a neighboring village at the time of the disaster.
All 46 people trapped in the landslide in the village of Gaopo in Zhenxiong County were confirmed dead on Saturday.
The landslide is believed to have been caused by persistent rain, as well as earthquakes that struck a neighboring county last year.
More than 550 villagers have been relocated over fears of recurring landslides. Twenty-three large tents have been pitched in the village for some 100 survivors, many of whom lost relatives and friends.
The grief in the tents is palpable. Luo Yuanju, Wang's sister-in-law, who lost three children in the landslide, said she and her husband rushed back to the village after hearing about the disaster.
"I don't know how to live on without my children," Luo said.
Zhao Mingcai, a 36-year-old man wearing a torn and muddy green jacket, became tearful when discussing the nine relatives he lost, including his child.
"I didn't get to see my child one last time," he said. "How can I forgive myself?"
Zhao traveled to Gaopo from the provincial capital of Kunming on Saturday, only to see his home buried under piles of mud. Ragged clothes, children's backpacks and fallen trees could still be seen in the debris.
Nineteen children were killed in the landslide, which happened on the first day of winter break.
"Try to run and avoid the area if a landslide occurs," reads a faded message on an outdoor blackboard at the Gaopo Middle School. Some of the dead children are believed to have attended the school, which was not damaged in the landslide.
Students are supposed to memorize the warning, even though landslides are rare in the area.
"I don't know if my child read the message or not," said Zhao.
Though she knew the odds were slim for those trapped in a landslide that hit her village in southwest China's Yunnan Province on Friday, she held out hope that her worst nightmare wouldn't come true.
"I realized that something very big had happened when I heard a loud 'bang'," Wang said. "But I never thought I would lose all of them."
Wang lost her parents, as well as several of her brothers and in-laws. She was in a neighboring village at the time of the disaster.
All 46 people trapped in the landslide in the village of Gaopo in Zhenxiong County were confirmed dead on Saturday.
The landslide is believed to have been caused by persistent rain, as well as earthquakes that struck a neighboring county last year.
More than 550 villagers have been relocated over fears of recurring landslides. Twenty-three large tents have been pitched in the village for some 100 survivors, many of whom lost relatives and friends.
The grief in the tents is palpable. Luo Yuanju, Wang's sister-in-law, who lost three children in the landslide, said she and her husband rushed back to the village after hearing about the disaster.
"I don't know how to live on without my children," Luo said.
Zhao Mingcai, a 36-year-old man wearing a torn and muddy green jacket, became tearful when discussing the nine relatives he lost, including his child.
"I didn't get to see my child one last time," he said. "How can I forgive myself?"
Zhao traveled to Gaopo from the provincial capital of Kunming on Saturday, only to see his home buried under piles of mud. Ragged clothes, children's backpacks and fallen trees could still be seen in the debris.
Nineteen children were killed in the landslide, which happened on the first day of winter break.
"Try to run and avoid the area if a landslide occurs," reads a faded message on an outdoor blackboard at the Gaopo Middle School. Some of the dead children are believed to have attended the school, which was not damaged in the landslide.
Students are supposed to memorize the warning, even though landslides are rare in the area.
"I don't know if my child read the message or not," said Zhao.
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