Villagers survey the rubble of a collapsed house after a tornado struck Funing in Jiangsu province on Thursday. (Provided to China Daily)
Xie helped the woman out and took her to a hospital 10 km away on his motorbike. "The road was blocked with rubble and fallen trees. Halfway to the hospital, I met my nephew driving a truck. Together, we put the women into his truck and drove on." Xie said at least three villagers he knew were dead. "This is the worst day I've ever faced," he said.
As hundreds of people struggled to survive in the ruins, many strangers lent a helping hand.
Citizens in Yancheng put up postings at "Wechat" to offer help ranging from free chauffeur services and free use of cranes to medical assistance.
Xiang Shanfeng, 31, was helping assemble a pump in the worst-hit township of Funing County when Xinhua reporter called him on the phone. "It's urgent to drain the flood water, lest the relocation sites might be drowned. It's ditch dark and everybody needs a torch: the more the better."
Shortly after the disaster, Xiang, a crane driver and native of Funing County, posted his phone number at Wechat and offered to join rescue work with his crane. He helped pull dozens of people out of the rubble over the past seven hours. "The losses were astonishing."
