Rescue worker relates to notion of community with a shared future

CHENGDU — When a 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Lushan county in Ya'an, Southwest China's Sichuan province, in April 2013, local 15-year-old Zeng Qiangfei was in his morning class.

"We rushed downstairs in a panic after feeling the strong tremors. I fell and almost got trampled on. Luckily, a classmate rapidly pulled me up," recalls Zeng.

His family was later placed in a temporary settlement, as their house along with many other buildings were reduced to rubble.

The young man was in Turkiye, racing against time to save lives after two earthquakes in quick succession, measuring 7.7 and 7.6 on the Richter scale, respectively, had devastated southern provinces of the country on Feb 6.

As a member of the Sichuan branch of Ramunion, a Chinese rescue team, Zeng didn't hesitate to join the international rescue force after receiving a call-up from his headquarters on Feb 8.

The exit and entry administration in Lushan expedited the issuance of Zeng's passport. Within two days, Zeng and his teammates embarked on the rescue journey with first aid kits, disinfectants, light-duty demolition tools, and other relief materials.

Having survived a massive quake himself, Zeng says that his gratitude for the people who had lent a helping hand to his hometown encouraged him to help others in danger, even if they were half a world away.

"I remember seeing rescuers work day and night searching for signs of life and treating the injured. Such scenes were so powerful that they greatly dispelled my fear," says Zeng.

People in Sichuan are no strangers to earthquakes. Over the past two decades, several counties, including Wenchuan, Jiuzhaigou, and Lushan, have experienced earthquakes of magnitudes above 7.0 and suffered enormous losses of life and property.

In the aftermath of those devastating disasters, rescuers and volunteers from across the country, and even abroad, risked their own lives to help people in the quake-stricken areas.

Zeng joined the Ramunion in 2021 when he had already taken a job in the catering industry. "But whenever there is a disaster that needs the rescue effort of Ramunion, my teammates and I ask for leave from work immediately and head to the scene of the disaster," he says.

In June 2022, Lushan county suffered another strong quake. Zeng was working in the provincial capital Chengdu but rushed back home, this time as a rescuer, and pulled many people out of harm's way.

Three months later, a 6.9-magnitude earthquake jolted Sichuan's Luding county. Zeng and his teammates worked for six days in a hard-hit village cut off from the outside world. They assisted firefighters in rescue and evacuation and undertook the job of delivering and distributing relief materials.

With all the experience in quake relief and rescue skills acquired through special training sessions, in Turkiye, Zeng and his Ramunion teammates searched over 170 collapsed buildings and freed nine trapped survivors.

Joining international disaster relief for the first time, Zeng says he has gained a better understanding of the notion of a community with a shared future.

"National boundaries don't matter when disasters happen because we all live in the same global village," adds Zeng.

Xinhua