Event: Four men step forward to save a person in front of an oncoming train
Recently, a post titled "A 50-year-old man attempts suicide by lying on the railway tracks, four brave men risking their lives to save him from under the speeding wheels" has drawn widespread attention online. On the afternoon of November 1, the reporter contacted Zhou Xiuling, a witness and teacher at Gaikan Middle School in Luan County, Tangshan City, via telephone. She recounted the harrowing scene she witnessed.
At around 2:45 PM on October 20, Zhou Xiuling arrived at the Luan County Railway Station in Hebei Province, preparing to board the Y5104 train traveling from Longjiaying to Beijing. As the train roared into the station, Zhou noticed a man in his fifties still sitting on the platform with both legs dangling over the edge.
"Just as I was about to warn him that the train was coming, he suddenly jumped off the platform and sat right between the railway tracks, tightly gripping them with both hands." Seeing this, other passengers waiting on the platform shouted loudly, but the man remained unmoved.
As the train thundered towards him, only about a hundred meters away, a man on the platform quickly jumped down and attempted to pull the suicidal man up. At the same time, three other men also leapt onto the tracks. Despite the man's reluctance to leave, the four heroes decisively lifted him by the waist and legs. In the very instant the train was arriving, they managed to hoist him back onto the platform, saving not only the suicidal man but also themselves.
"Right after the five of us climbed back onto the platform, the train roared past and slid another 100 meters before stopping," Zhou recounted. "It was a matter of life and death; if it had been any later, not only would the suicidal man have perished, but the four rescuers might have met the same fate."
After saving the man, the four heroes handed him over to the railway staff who had arrived on the scene and silently boarded the train without saying a word.
Recollection: Heroes were embarrassed by the praise
Faced with these four heroic rescuers, dozens of passengers on the platform were deeply moved. Zhou Xiuling was also extremely touched. After boarding the train, she began searching for the four men one by one in the carriage. After much effort, she managed to identify two of them onboard. "They initially refused to leave their names or phone numbers. After much persuasion, they finally told me their names," said Zhou. "One is from Henan province, and the other is Mi Shengjun from Xinong Village, Leizhuang Town, Luan County, Tangshan City."
Around 5 PM on November 1, the reporter interviewed Mi Shengjun. The 44-year-old farmer told the reporter that he is just an ordinary peasant. On October 20, he was planning to visit his sister in Beijing. "At the time, I was chatting with a friend on the platform. We heard a woman trying to persuade a man sitting on the platform. The train was already approaching with its whistle blowing, and what we didn’t expect was that instead of standing up, the man jumped down onto the tracks."
Seeing the train getting closer, Mi Shengjun shouted, "Quick, go down and pull the old man up!"
After shouting, Mi and three other young men jumped down onto the tracks. "The young man from Henan hugged the old man’s waist while the other two lifted his legs. I saw that the old man’s hands were tightly gripping the rail, so I even kicked his arm in urgency to help lift him onto the platform," Mi recalled. "Just as we all got back onto the platform, the train roared past."
Once on the platform, the suicidal man still tried to crawl under the train. Helplessly, Mi Shengjun and the other three held him down until the staff arrived. Back on the train, Mi discovered that he was seated next to the hero from Henan. "That's when I learned his name is Wen Jianli," said Mi.
When the train conductor approached them and called them "heroes," this burly man became shy. "What’s there to talk about? Anyone encountering such a situation wouldn't stand idly by. It’s something everyone should do," Mi said.
Expectation: To find the other two heroes
"After experiencing this event, I was deeply moved. Facing the rapidly approaching train, life and death were decided in an instant, yet they were willing to risk their lives to save someone. Their spirit is truly admirable," Zhou Xiuling said.
Although she knows the identities of two of the four heroes, Zhou Xiuling has still not been able to locate the other two. "They may be from Yutian in Tangshan, Fengrun, or even elsewhere. I hope through the media's efforts, we can find them and let them know how much we admire their actions."
If you were present at the rescue scene and witnessed the heroes' bravery, if you happen to know the other two unnamed heroes, or if you wish to express your thoughts about their heroic deeds, please contact us. Hotline: 0315-2340000. (Reporters Tian Lin and Wang Tianyi from Yan Zhao Daily)