Saved by baby's cries

CHENGDU • Twenty-six-year-old Qiao Dashi said he and his wife were awoken at around 5.30am last Saturday by the cries of their baby boy.

His wife Xiao Chunyan, also aged 26, had got up to check on their son. She changed his diaper and was about to go back to bed just before 6am, when she heard a loud rumbling noise outside the house.

The couple could feel the ground shaking.

Clutching their baby tightly, the couple ran for their lives as their house was hit with a deluge of rocks, water and mud.

Mr Qiao recounted: "Just after we'd changed his diaper, we heard a big bang outside, and the lights went out. We knew something bad was about to happen and immediately rushed to the door, but it was blocked by mud and rocks."

They were dug out by rescuers at around 6.50 am and taken to hospital.

Mr Qiao later told state broadcaster CCTV from his hospital bed: "There were rocks even in the living room."

Mr Qiao Dashi and his wife Xiao Chunyan, and their baby boy. They were dug out by rescuers. Mr Qiao's three-year-old daughter and his parents are still missing. PHOTO: WEIBO ACCOUNT OF SICHUAN NEWS SERVICE

His three-year-old daughter and his parents remain missing. Mr Qiao and his wife suffered bruises, local media said. Their 38-day-old baby boy, who inhaled muddy water, is also being treated.

The couple and their baby were the only survivors reported to have been found alive, said Reuters.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on June 26, 2017, with the headline Saved by baby's cries. Subscribe