On-the-spot report on the rescue experience of "6.1 Oriental Star shipwreck"

? My name is Chen Yuxin. I come from Tianmen Squadron of Hanjiang detachment of Hubei Provincial Public Security Fire Brigade. I am currently a fighter in the special service class of Tianmen Squadron. In the first year of enlistment, I encountered such a big accident, and my mood was very complicated and heavy. At 21 o'clock on June 1, 215, the "Oriental Star" passenger ship with 454 people on board was suddenly hit by a tornado and sank in Jianli waters of Hubei Province. At 4 o'clock in the morning of June 2, Tianmen Fire Squadron received the police, and 22 officers and men of the squadron rushed to the scene to reinforce. And I was arranged to stay in the squadron to do a good job on duty. In this way, I failed to arrive at the scene to participate in the rescue operation at the first time. On the same day, I was in the squadron, watching the news from the scene and thinking about the comrades who fought bravely at the front. I was very anxious. It's a day and I can't sleep all night.

? Time goes by, my compatriots on the Oriental Star, are you all right? The river is cold and it's dark below, but don't be afraid, we are all here. On June 4th, I was mobilized to rotate the first batch of 76 officers and men together with 19 other officers and men. At about 19 o'clock, I arrived at the scene with the full-time headquarters of Hanjiang detachment as the second batch of rescue commandos. A comrade-in-arms said to me, "If you can go in the first batch, you can meet Premier Li Keqiang." And I thought, "If such a disaster must happen before I can see the Prime Minister, then I would rather never see this Prime Minister." When I arrive at the scene, my mood will change slightly. All the lofty words and ambitions on weekdays are turned into the most practical actions on the banks of the Yangtze River. Together with the comrades-in-arms of the People's Liberation Army and the pontoon bridge troops, we fight side by side for the living and the dead. In the daytime, the temperature is very high, and we wear heavy rescue clothes, so we transport equipment in time for a living life; The river breeze is very cold at night. We stay up all night and stand by 24 hours a day in order to protect the undead. At that moment, I felt so powerless for the first time, and the fragility of life is sometimes beyond your imagination.

? At 4 o'clock in the morning of June 6, we had been fighting for two days and two nights and had just rested for less than a few hours. We were temporarily ordered that the hull had been righted and rushed to the ship for rescue. When I came to the "Oriental Star", I once again felt the shock of my heart: the still majestic but broken hull, the already stiff and rotting bodies of the victims carried out from the ship, and the comrades who fell asleep on the deck because of fighting all night the night before ... A touching picture is deeply imprinted in my mind and indelible. After more than ten hours of continuous fighting, the hull demolition work was basically completed. When I returned to the embankment in the evening, when I saw the families of the victims coming to worship in batches, and when I heard the screams of their loved ones passing away, my eyes couldn't help but be wet, and I once again fell into meditation on the meaning of life: as a soldier, we are bloody, but we are flesh and blood, and we also have emotions. What we can do is to turn grief into strength, stand up and resolutely stick to our posts with grief for the deceased.

? On June 7th and 8th, 18 officers and men of Hanjiang Fire Brigade, including me, boarded the passenger ship in batches according to the requirements of the headquarters, and carried out house-by-house demolition and secondary search and rescue. More than 13 door panels were demolished, and two victims were found again. At the same time, they passed the acceptance of "all rooms and cabins have smooth access, and movable items and wooden structures have been cleaned up". When the "Oriental Star" was demolished for search and rescue, rust nails were everywhere on the door panels, and many places were stabbed on hands and bodies. However, when I thought of more than 4 victims, I no longer felt any pain, so I continued to search and rescue after simple dressing. The bloodiness of soldiers has never been just lip service, but it must be taken out at a critical moment. Through persistent eye contact with a group of bloody comrades, we know that we must fight to the last moment in order to defend the last dignity of the deceased.

may the dead rest in peace and the living be strong. I, on the other hand, will continue to do my best in this sacred post and make greater contributions to the protection of people's lives and property. As the song goes: People need me, always ready!

? —— On June 17th, 215

Chen Yuxin