Quick rescue by Armed Police Beichuan Squadron right after May 12th quake

Beichuan County was one of the worst hit areas in the Wenchuan Earthquake. An awards ceremony for students was held in a county auditorium that was gutted in the quake. Soldiers from the Armed Police Beichuan Squadron were also on hand. The rescue efforts at the facility were captured on video shortly after the quake struck.

At 2:28 pm on May 12th, an earthquake measuring 8 on the Richter scale hit Wenchuan, in Sichuan Province. All the roads linking Beichuan with the outside world were blocked by landslides, and telecommunication links were also severed. For a time, Beichuan was totally isolated.

These scenes were recorded in the county's auditorium, 10 minutes after the earthquake. It's clear that when the earth stopped shaking, people immediately took action to save themselves and one another in Beichuan.

These pictures show 15 soldiers from the Armed Police Beichuan Squadron risking their lives to rescue injured people in the auditorium.

The awards ceremony was due to start at 2:30 pm. The earth began to shake slightly as people got ready for the ceremony. Beichuan is located in an active earthquake zone, and minor quakes are common. Locals didn't take much notice of the initial small tremors.

Wang Faming, Organization Department of Beichuan County Party Comm. said "I had just put the camera on the tripod. When I adjusted the tripod, there were some small shakes, like heavy trucks going by. I thought maybe it was an earthquake, but on the other hand, I guessed maybe not."

Wang Faming works for the organization department of the Beichuan county Party committee. He planned to record the awards ceremony with his video camera. A few seconds later, the minor shakes became major tremors.

Wang Faming said "I followed the others out of the auditorium, and began to shoot. That was the most violent period of the quake, lasting no more than 20 seconds."

After the earthquake, Wang Faming risked his life to take pictures. He recorded how the armed police and local cadres immediately rushed to help survivors.

Jia Daguo, Vice Commander of Armed Police of Beichuan Squadron said "After the first earthquake, people began pouring out of the auditorium. We were at the end of the crowd. My unit and I were maintaining order, we shouted "don't block the exits" and helped fallen people get up.”

Deng Lei, Soldier of Armed Police of Beichuan Squadron said "When we went out, most of us helped two children running to the gate. Because the earthquake came so suddenly, the kids were shocked."

Liu Hongjian, soldier of Armed Police of Beichuan Squadron said "I was a little afraid. But after a while, I saw people in the auditorium were trapped by cement slabs and wood. I only wanted to save them, and I didn't feel scared anymore."

There were more than three hundred people in the auditorium at the time. Jia Daguo led several armed police, along with local government officials, to carry out rescue work immediately. Thanks to their quick response, everyone made it to safety in the square outside the auditorium in about forty minutes.

Aftershocks continued to rock the town and the auditorium was in danger of total collapse at any minute. But despite the dangers, the soldiers showed no hesitation to save people. Jia Daguo says he was deeply touched.

Jia Daguo said "I was so moved and emotional at the time. There was a soldier named Zhang Hui. As he rescued people, his clothes became stained with blood, and he couldn't even tell if the blood was his or from injured people. That was the situation. And his face was pale. The air was full of dust. Our saliva was black. I asked him if he was ok. He said, no problem."

Jia felt some relief when he saw all the children had been rescued from the rubble.

But another thought flashed across his mind. How about the other soldiers? Only 15 out of 33 soldiers from the armed police Beichuan squadron attended the Youth Day's award ceremony, another 15 had stayed at the barracks and another three were on duty at the local detention center.

Were the soldiers, and 25 detainees in the detention center safe? The barracks were just next to the detention house, so Jia sent someone to find out how they were.

Jia Daguo said "The soldiers stayed in the most dangerous areas, where there were high buildings. If those buildings had collapsed, all the other buildings would have toppled down. I didn't expect we would find them."

This was the armed police barracks before the earthquake, and this is the same spot after the earthquake.

The barracks of the Armed Police Beichuan Squadron collapsed. The soldiers' dormitories and the county detention center were turned into rubble.

But fortunately, just seconds after the quake, squadron captain Zhao Deqing, who was on duty that day, blew a whistle. Thirty-two seconds later, the fifteen soldiers left at the barracks all gathered outside, with no loss of life.

But nobody could find the three soldiers who were guarding the detention center, despite searching for a long time.

"Where did you go after the quake?"

Li Wei, soldier of Armed Police of Beichuan Squadron said "We went to rescue prisoners in the detention center.”

Liu Yang, soldier of Armed Police of Beichuan Squadron said "As a guard, my duty is not only to make sure the prisoners do not run away, but also to keep all of them safe."

"How many prisoners did you rescue?"

Liu Yang said "We rescued seventeen prisoners, thirteen were slightly wounded. But it was difficult to carry four of them out. We worked hard to move away the rocks and got them out."

Li Wei said "At the time, we thought that, although they are prisoners, they are also living human beings. We couldn't leave them trapped under the rubble, and see them die."

The earthquake isolated Beichuan county.

Mobile phone reception and land lines were cut, and roads were blocked. The outside world lost all contact with Beichuan, and it was impossible to sending rescue teams into the region.

All residents could do was save themselves. The first thing to do was transfer survivors to safe places.

"Now it's getting dark, please donate your flashlight if you have one."

"There could be aftershocks half an hour later, it's crucial we immediately carry out rescue work."

In the face of the sudden disaster, people were seized with panic. They moved to safety, supporting each other along the way.

And in the ruins, the thirty-three soldiers from the Armed Police Beichuan Squadron had already begun searching for survivors.