At around 4 PM yesterday, on the national highway 107 near Liu Lidian Village in Liulihe Town of Fangshan District, two out of three girls fell into an icy hole while playing on a frozen fish pond. A No. 835 express bus traveling from Tianqiao to Hancunhe in Fangshan happened to pass by, and the driver stopped immediately to rescue them. Some passengers on the bus and drivers of several passing long-distance buses also got off their vehicles to help.
Twenty minutes later, the two girls were successively pulled out from the ice hole. The policemen who arrived at the scene then continued the rescue effort, sending the two children to the hospital with police cars. Thanks to timely rescue, the two girls are now out of danger.
The cries for help drew the attention of everyone on the bus. "The No. 835 express bus had not yet reached the Liulihe Town Government stop when the driver suddenly stepped on the brakes and parked the bus by the roadside. He opened the door and rushed down without saying anything. I was wondering why he stopped before the station. Later, many passengers stood up and looked forward. Not far away, there seemed to be two children struggling in the water!" Mr. Wu, a passenger on the No. 835 express bus who witnessed the entire rescue process said yesterday that after the driver rushed down, several quick-eyed passengers also ran towards the fish pond.
This fish pond located beside the national highway 107 is about 100 meters long and at least 50 meters wide. Mr. Wu, whose legs were not very agile, also got off the vehicle. At the center position of the fish pond's ice surface, two little girls were struggling in the cold water. On the shore, another little girl was crying loudly, completely scared.
Yesterday evening, the reporter contacted Mr. Han Yang, the driver of the No. 835 express bus who rushed forward first at that time. He said that in the afternoon of that day, he and his colleague Mr. Zheng Qiulin drove from Tianqiao to Han Cunhe in Fangshan. Around 4 PM, when the car was traveling near Liu Lidian Village on National Highway 107, he saw an old lady on the slope of the fish pond shouting loudly, "Who can swim? Come and save people!"
Mr. Han Yang immediately stepped on the brake and stopped the car. Mr. Zheng Qiulin also heard the cry for help and shouted loudly in the car, "I can." The two quickly rushed down from the bus and ran to the shore. Subsequently, more than ten passengers on the bus also ran towards the fish pond.
Initially, the rescue process did not go smoothly. Due to the high daytime temperatures in recent days, part of the ice surface began to melt. Mr. Han Yang, running first, only took a few steps on the ice and heard a crackling sound as his entire calf sank into the icy water.
"Originally, I wanted to take a shortcut to save people faster, but instead, I fell in first, wasting time," Mr. Han Yang said. After getting out of the water, he didn't care about the water on his legs and continued to run towards the direction of the old lady's cries for help, stepping onto the ice again. Several bold passengers held onto each other’s waist belts, forming a human chain like monkeys fishing for the moon, helping Mr. Han Yang approach the ice hole.
At this time, more and more people came to rescue upon noticing the abnormality. Mr. Wu said that a long-distance bus driver embraced a sturdy hemp rope from his vehicle, tying it around the waists of several rescuers near the shore, while others stood on the shore pulling the rope. Mr. Zheng Qiulin stood by the fish pond edge, organizing the rescue while calling the emergency number and reporting to 110.
Mr. Han Yang said that the diameter of the ice hole was about two meters, and the two children had been trapped in the water for several minutes. Initially, he tried to approach the two children by hand, but the distance was too great. At this moment, an elderly person living beside the fish pond found an iron hook at home, which was passed through the human ladder to him.
To ensure Mr. Han Yang's safety, the rescuers attempted to tie a rope around him, but due to insufficient rope length, a male passenger could only hold one end of the rope with one hand and pull Mr. Han Yang's clothes with the other. At this point, Mr. Han Yang noticed that a girl in the ice hole had stopped struggling and was floating on the water surface. He shouted, "Don't grab my clothes, I can't reach the child, grab my waist!"
Mr. Han Yang leaned forward forcefully, and the iron hook finally touched one of the girls. He pulled her onto the ice surface with all his strength. The first child still had consciousness after being pulled ashore, although her lips and small face were frozen purple, she still shivered and said, "So cold... save my sister." Then, other passengers took off their down jackets to wrap the little girl tightly and carried her to the shore.
After seeing the other child in the water had also stopped struggling, Mr. Han Yang and many rescuers did not pause and continued the rescue. "The child has already floated up, I'm afraid her head might get water inside, so after hooking her, I flipped the iron hook to let her head face up, then I pulled her ashore," Mr. Han Yang said. Due to prolonged drowning, the second child's abdomen showed obvious swelling. With some knowledge of first aid, he immediately pressed his left hand on the child's chest and hit it with his right fist. A few minutes later, the child finally spat out a large amount of dirty water.
At this moment, the police officers from the Liulihe Police Station had already arrived at the scene. The police made a decisive decision, immediately carrying the two girls into the car and rushing them to the Liulihe Health Center for emergency treatment. Afterwards, the rescuers tidied up their tools and left separately. Mr. Han Yang and Mr. Zheng Qiulin, along with the passengers, returned to the bus. As soon as they got on the bus, Mr. Han Yang immediately apologized to the passengers: "Sorry everyone, I've wasted your time!" The passengers responded warmly with applause.
According to information from the Fangshan police, the two girls who fell into the water were 9 and 12 years old respectively. Last night, the reporter contacted Mr. Li, the father of the second rescued child. His daughter is 9 years old, and the other two children are his relatives. Mr. Li said that after the child was sent to the Liulihe Health Center, the doctor said the situation was urgent, so they transferred to Liangxiang Hospital. After emergency treatment, the child has now escaped life-threatening danger. Currently, the two are undergoing re-examinations at the Children's Hospital. "Thanks to our benefactors, we must thank them personally!" Mr. Li said.
Reporter: Liu Lin
Journalist's Notes
Last night, after learning that both rescued girls were safe and sound, the reporter informed Mr. Han Yang immediately. He was delighted and repeatedly said, "The children are fine, I feel relieved! Otherwise, my heart would always be hanging, not knowing how the outcome would be."
Strangers, the cries for help from the kind-hearted elderly woman, the relay rescue by the bus driver, passengers, and police officers... These breathtaking scenes are unforgettable to the witnesses. When calling the hotline to our newspaper, Mr. Wu, the passenger, expressed deep feelings, saying that if it weren't for the help of so many kind-hearted people, the two children might not have survived. It is often said that modern people are becoming increasingly indifferent, but he believes that there are still more good people in society.
Mr. Han Yang said that at the time, standing beside the ice hole, he didn't think about the results, he just focused on saving lives. And, he believed that whoever was in that situation would do the same. Afterwards, the reporter learned from the No. 835 Express Bus Team that Mr. Han Yang is 32 years old, has worked for five years, and recently suffered a fracture in his left foot. He just finished his sick leave and returned to work.
Last night was Christmas Eve, in this cold northern night, the word "peace" became the heaviest gift the two drowning girls received in their lives.
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