In the midst of the deadly 7.0 magnitude earthquake in Sichuan, China, a group of Singaporeans had to run for their lives after the rumblings struck their area on Tuesday (Aug 8).
According to Channel NewsAsia, the group of 16 who were with Dynasty Travel had arrived at Howard Johnson Tian Yuan Resort that evening to explore Jiuzhaigou nature reserve. Dinner was just beginning, when a loud bang sounded across the restaurant and the ground started to shake. Everyone from the tour group fled the building, following the restaurant staff out into an open air car park.
The sounds of breaking glass and buildings swaying could be heard, said Ah Hai, the group’s tour guide. He added that the “dust everywhere” worsened visibility.
The tour group ended up spending the night at the car park, but sleep was elusive, due to the multiple tremors they felt. At 6am on Wednesday, all of them headed over to Chengdu, where they will continue on their trip — albeit with slight changes.
Dynasty Travel said it will be monitoring the situation closely to work out the next course of action to ensure the safety of its customers. Another tour led by Chan Brothers also reported that the group of 20 is safe and now sourcing “immediate flight options”.
So far, the quake has claimed the lives of 19 people and left 247 injured, according to local media reports.
According to a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), the Singapore Consulate-General in Chengdu has reached out to e-registered Singaporeans in the affected areas.
“We have ascertained that all e-registered Singaporeans in Jiuzhaigou are safe,” MFA said. “The Consulate-General is in close contact with the local authorities and will render the necessary assistance to affected Singaporeans.”
