Quake reporter recalls brush with death
Updated: 2008-05-15 23:16
China Daily journalist Chen Jia was trapped for hours in a crushed minibus which was buried under rubble and was hanging on the edge of a cliff moments after Monday’s earthquake shook Sichuan.
 Chen Jia (in wheelchair) receives treatment at hospital in Chengdu.
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Chen, 25 — who was on a media trip to Wolong Nature Reserve and was on her way back to Dujiangyan — describes her ordeal to colleague Xie Fang from her hotel in Chengdu, where she is recuperating.
Our vehicle was suddenly pummeled by falling rocks soon after we crossed the Baihua Bridge — and when we turned back to look, it collapsed.
I and seven others were trapped in the minbus which was buried under boulders and close to the precipice.
For the next three hours, I prayed for my life. My nose was pressed close to the floor of the wrecked vehicle and I found it hard to breathe.
Thanks to the efforts of three local people, I am alive to tell this story. I am very lucky to survive this terrible disaster — at least I am still alive.
At 2:28 pm, we were on our way back to Dujiangyan, when our minibus was struck by a massive rock. At first, we thought it was a mudslide rather than an earthquake.
But the local driver knew better — he soon abandoned the vehicle without informing any of us.
There were eight passengers, including three women, from various media such as CCTV, Beijing Evening Post and Zhejiang TV Station.
An avalanche of rocks then rained down on our minivan, flipping it upside down and pushing it to the edge of a ravine. A river ran below.
I was jammed between the vehicle’s back seat and my laptop, and couldn’t move at all.
All of us were in shock but soon started to encourage one another. To distract our minds from the desperate situation, we chatted — and everyone promised not to cry. One of the reporters recorded our conversations on her mobile phone.
My head was hanging down and became swollen.
I could feel a male journalist, whose back was against mine, breathing painfully. I kept talking to him but my voice was getting weaker and weaker. After three hours, I could not hear any of the conversations inside the vehicle.
I could not see any light at the end of the tunnel. I was extremely desperate.
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