Meet Chen Wenqiang, a rescuer beyond Tibet

LHASA, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Chen Wenqiang, 29, captain of the China Blue Sky Rescue Team's Tibet branch, was reluctant to change shifts after 53 hours of continuous operation in quake-hit Türkiye.

"The life detector showed a striking red sign and a thumping sound was heard beneath the snow-covered bricks, both indications of signs of life under the debris," Chen said.

After devastating earthquakes jolted Türkiye and Syria on Feb. 6, Chen and other team members wasted no time in heading to the affected regions to join the rescue operation.

With the help of a Chinese expatriate there, they set up a rescue base in a local school. Chen and a dozen rescuers crammed into a classroom.

"Unlike the two-story low houses common in Tibet, there were many buildings of more than seven stories in the quake-hit zone," Chen recalled, explaining the difficulties of the operation.

Buildings had toppled over. Aftershocks struck one after another. Everywhere they went, what they saw was covered with white snow.

To avoid secondary injuries to the trapped, rescuers stopped using excavators but continued with shovels and small tools.

"My only idea in mind was to save as many lives as possible," he said.

Just as he returned to the base in the early morning of the third day, a 5.3-magnitude aftershock occurred. He and other rescuers ran to an open area, with bricks flying and rocks falling around them. But after a short rest, he went back to work.

"Local people kept sending hot black tea and bread to us," said Chen. To save precious rescue time, they always had meals at the rescue site.

When the relief work was over, rescuers from China and Türkiye had forged a deep bond. "In the face of a disaster, what we can do is to help each other and be united as one," said Chen.

Chen was born in east China's Fujian Province. In 2012, he spent 20 days cycling to Lhasa along a national highway and settled in Tibet ever since.

He, as a sports fan himself, founded an outdoor exploration company there. In the next two years, he drove to the region's Nyingchi, Ngari, and Nagqu areas to expand his company businesses, but encountered various kinds of geological hazards and natural disasters on the way.

"Once on a snowy day, my car nearly slipped off a cliff because I didn't use snow chains on the tires. Suddenly I have realized the importance of emergency rescue on the plateau," Chen said.

In 2014, with the help of the founder of Blue Sky Rescue, Chen established the rescue team's Tibet branch. Over 30 volunteers, including two Tibetans, joined his squad. They conducted rescue work across Tibet in their spare time.

Phuntsok, one of the Tibetan members, had been involved in the rescue work for more than seven years.

Chen also joined quake relief efforts in Nepal, when a magnitude-8.1 earthquake jolted the country in 2015.

Chen drove as fast as possible to the border after the quake, trying to get a grasp of the situation there. Soon after, he flew to Nepal with almost one tonne of relief materials.

It was during that operation that Chen recognized the importance of professional emergency rescue training.

"To become a regular member of the team, volunteers need to undergo one to two years of professional training," said Chen.

His rescue team now has more than 100 members, with over 30 being regular ones who have to take six to eight hours of training every week.