WUHAN - Building laborer Hu Xueyong is lucky to be alive after a foundation pit collapsed on top of him and his workmates.

But it doesn't feel that way to him, because his close friend sacrificed his life to save him.

Hu is still in a hospital recovering from his injuries after the construction site accident on Dec 28 in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, but the pain he feels is nothing compared with what he suffers at the loss of his good mate and savior Wang Shu'en.

"Wang could easily have escaped from the pit, but he didn't," Hu, 49, recalled in an interview with Chutian Golden Newspaper, a local newspaper in Hubei province.

Instead, he said, Wang ignored his own safety and jumped back in to save Hu, who had been buried when the side of the pit gave way. He dug away the mud and earth from Hu's head and tried to pull him out.

After that, Hu fainted and only remembers that several colleagues, including Wang, took him to hospital.

Hu suffered bone injuries but it turned out Wang had severe internal injuries, which were not immediately detected, and from which he died several hours later.

Wang Shu'en's mother and father look at the picture of their son through their tears. Peng Zhong / for China Daily

"I will never forget Wang Shuen's sacrifice," Hu said. "After my recovery, I will go to his grave to honor him."

For Hu, Wang's death was terrible, but for Wang's family, it was devastating. His father, Wang Jinjie, 69, said that Wang Shu'en was the main breadwinner for the poor family of seven, who live in Baimiao village in the Huangpi district of Wuhan.

"My wife and I are old, and his brother and sister are both ill," said Wang Jinjie, adding that his son had worked for many years and had endured much hardship.

Wang senior said that he had been really looking forward to the reunion with his son during the Lunar New Year's holiday.

"The day before the accident, he asked me to mail him a temporary ID card so he could buy a train ticket," he recalled. "I told him I would call him when the card was ready, but I never got the chance."

Although he is distraught at the loss of his son, he is proud of his brave actions.

Many people have been touched by Wang's story.

Sun Donglin, the man who set up China's first foundation for migrant laborers, and is also from Huangpi district, visited Wang's family on Wednesday to offer sympathy and support.

Just before the Lunar New Year in 2010, Sun finished his late brother's unfulfilled task - to ensure that his fellow construction workers got paid.

"I am proud of my fellow villager Wang and I will try my best to help his family," Sun said.

The local government has also offered to financially assist the grieving family.

Wang's sacrifice has also moved thousands of netizens. "I wish the hero peace," one online post said.

"I hope all the migrant workers understand that their lives are precious and they should protect themselves ," another said.