A moment of fear as 72-hour window closes

At around 7:30 am on Monday, I put my boots on in 10 seconds and ate breakfast in 120 seconds before heading out to the scene one last time. Monday was the last day of the 72-hour golden rescue period - the time frame in which it was still theoretically possible to find a survivor in the landslide in Xinmo village, Sichuan province.

I was one of the few journalists allowed to enter the rescue area. There were no weeping relatives, no civilian rescuers, only professionals and equipment from the Armed Police and regional fire department - all busy doing their work.

There were also health workers from the Sichuan Armed Police Hospital, spreading liquid disinfectant throughout the area. They spent extra time spreading the material in holes where bodies have been found, fearing that the remnants of disintegrating flesh could contaminate the area.