Efforts to evacuate another batch of train-stranded passengers from the Luopoling train station in Beijing's Mentougou district finished on Wednesday. Our reporter Zhou Jiaxin followed a group that embarked on a dangerous five-hour journey, eventually arriving to safety in the town of Miaofengshan.
The passengers of train K396 bound for Beijing found themselves in a precarious situation Sunday afternoon, as relentless torrential rain obstructed their journey, leading to landslides and damaged tracks.
WANG MIN Passenger of K396 "There was a part of the railway track with nothing beneath it. My child was carried out by police officers. I was scared to walk so close to the edge of the canyon. The officers formed a human wall, putting their lives on the line."
PENG LIN Chinese People's Armed Police Force "We carried and supported the children and elderly, helping them pass through one by one."
WANG MIN Passenger of K396 "When we approached the tunnel, it was dark inside with unknown water. They carried my child and waded through it. One of the soldiers was the same age as my eldest boy at home."
The heavy waterlogging also damaged roads in many sections of Mengtougou, and flash flooding forced the closure of more than 100 mountainous roads.
Among the stranded passengers, an Albanian traveler with his Chinese fiancée compared the situation to the Titanic.
JULIAN KRUPA Passenger of K396 "You know when they say first women and kids, it was a bit scary. But then slowly, we clarify the situation with the military and the train service, and everyone helped."
Due to failed telecommunications in the region, a German couple only managed to report their safety two days after the incident.
FUCHS Passenger of K396 "We didn't know what was happening. We went up to the village that was higher, so we were safe there. And now we walked here, it was through tunnels and bit adventurous, but it was OK."
Reporter "It was a different adventure, anyway."
STINE Passenger of K396 "Definitely. Yesterday, some supplies came from helicopters and military came. This morning, they told us we were going to walk. For us, it was a belief, because we want to go to Beijing and we didn't want to wait longer."
FUCHS Passenger of K396 "Yes, everyone was relived coz we could leave."
By Wednesday, the combined efforts resulted in the safe evacuation of almost a thousand passengers and crew.
ZHOU JIAXIN Mentougou, Beijing "Many expressed gratitude to the locals in Luopoling who provided food and wear in the past two days. So they worried about the insufficient supplies left. Now the sun is out and the aerial delivery continues, and that could be quite a relief for the locals, particularly those elderly. Zhou Jiaxin, Mentougou, Beijing."
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