Once-trapped train riders express thanks

Nearly 1,000 passengers who had been trapped for almost two days on train K396 — which was stranded by floodwaters on Beijing's outskirts — showed their sincere thanks to local residents who had offered food and drinks during the tough time.

On Sunday, train K396 from Wuhai, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, to Beijing's Fengtai Station was forced by floods to stop at Mentougou's Luopoling train station in Beijing.

Passengers and crew members had been trapped on trains until being rescued on Wednesday.

During their trapped-time in Luopoling, local residents — whose power and water had been cut off as a result of strong rains — showed their love by getting out all the food they had at home for the passengers.

"I was deeply touched by our people. They are great people full of kindness," said Meng Ermei, a government official in the Luopoling community during an interview with China Central Television on Wednesday.

"There are fewer than 400 permanent residents in the community, mostly elderly. But they accepted nearly 1,000 passengers, sharing food and beds."

Residents did whatever they could to help. Some residents' cars were turned into shelters for passengers. People offered whatever food they had at home and made large quantities of noodles and soup, Meng said.

Since the local water supply had been cut off, residents ran to the mountains to fetch water and came back to cook porridge for the trapped passengers. The passengers were deeply moved.

Liu Chunmei, a passenger on the train from Inner Mongolia, said the residents brought whatever they had, and they barely had anything left for themselves.

"They are so warmhearted," she said.

All the passengers who had been trapped on the train successfully arrived at Beijing's Fengtai Station on Wednesday after being rescued by police personnel who had hiked for four hours to reach them at Luopoling train station and brought food, clothing and medicine.