An experienced trainer leads the new members of the team during warm-up exercises. Photos by Feng Yongbin / China Daily

Disaster zone veterans carry the scars, both mental and physical

After 10 years of witnessing death and destruction firsthand, Wang Nianfa has only one wish: no more disasters.

The 31-year-old has been with the China Search and Rescue Team since the start and has participated in every single mission. He is now one of the full-time trainers at its Beijing base.

"I just hope there are no more earthquakes in the future, or any other tragedy," he said in his soft voice. "I don't want the world to need us anymore."

He was unable to recall exactly how many times he has been told to drop everything and get on a plane to a disaster zone. He said that whenever anything happens, he sends a simple text message to his wife: "Urgent task. Set out."

"The more you tell relatives, the more they will worry," he said.

Short with a stocky build, Wang has aged far beyond his years. His face is a dark tan and is carved with deep wrinkles, while his hands are rough and scarred. Mental wounds have also left their mark.

The names of the eight Chinese killed when a magnitude-7.0 earthquake rocked Haiti in January last year are still crystal clear in his mind; so too is the memory of searching for their bodies.

"There were many rotten corpses scattered around the ruined city (Port au Prince, the capital). It was so bad we had to spray perfume on our masks to cover the smell," he said, shaking his head as he recalled one horrific image after another.

Lu Jie, another trainer who has traveled with the team on many missions, said that rescue operations rely on the workers' speed, accuracy and ability to hold up under pressure. "We're not just rescuers: on the scene we need to be psychological counselors too," he said.

Recalling the time he found a 16-year-old girl trapped in a collapsed building after the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, he added: "When I tried helping her out, there was a huge aftershock. She kept saying, 'Don't leave me'. I patted her shoulder and told her I would never leave. Comforting people at critical moments is sometimes the only way to get them out alive," he said.

Lu and his close friend Wang have had to sacrifice many things for their rescue work: time with their family, hobbies, vacations. Yet, both of them agreed that they could not contemplate returning to an ordinary life.

"For disaster victims, we're their only hope," Wang said.

A little while later, the trainers were asked to lead a simulation drill for the new recruits on the two-week program. Both men were out of the door in seconds.