(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-05-21 07:14

Wang Hongfa lost his son and 14 relatives in the quake - but he considers grieving for them a luxury he cannot afford now.

He hasn't suffered many nightmares either: The director of the Beichuan civil affairs bureau has barely slept an hour a day for the past week, immersing himself in relief efforts.

Wang was on the way to his bureau when the quake struck last Monday.

At first the earth "swayed a little", Wang said. He didn't think much of it and continued to walk.

A boy eats instant noodles for lunch at the coliseum in Mianyang yesterday where many quake survivors have taken shelter. Reuters

Then he was knocked onto the ground - the earth began to "shake like crazy and roared, with dust rising everywhere".

"I looked around, and many buildings were reduced to rubble in minutes, the taxation bureau building moved about 20 m and collapsed, and suddenly day turned into night."

Wang turned back to look at the county government building. It collapsed as well.

Jing Dazhong, the county head, managed to crawl out of the ruins and started assigning rescue work. Wang was told to be in charge of medical rescue.

"All of that, from the quake to the assignments, happened in 10 minutes", said Wang.

The county looked like a scene out of purgatory - deep fissures in the ground, flattened buildings and desperate people crying for help.

Wang said he pulled out 10 people from rubble, clawing with bare hands. At 4 pm, he heard that the Beichuan elementary school had collapsed, too, and many students were buried.

Wang rushed to the site - and his heart sank when he passed by his apartment block. His son, 16, was at home that day because he was ill; and the building was a pile of debris.

"I should have thought of my own child first, but the disaster struck so suddenly and the rescue work was so intense.

"I had to give up my son although I felt so remorseful," Wang said, tears glistening in his eyes. "Saving people leaves no time to grieve."

At the primary school, "thousands of people gathered at the gate."

"They asked me, as an official, what I could do. Of course, I had to help," he said.

Since then, Wang has had his hands full - and his mind occupied - distributing food and relief materials, reporting on what was needed, communicating with donor organizations.

"But aren't you full of sorrow after losing so many people close to you?" a reporter asked him.

"How can I not be? But I will have a big cry once I finish my job", he said, holding back his tears.