Tsao Wei-ling, 45, and her husband Hsu Wen-ju tried for years to have a child and two years ago, finally their son Kai-po was born. The family's happiness was complete until their lives, like so many others, were suddenly shaken apart by a 6.7-magnitude earthquake at 3:57 a.m. Saturday as they slept in their seventh floor apartment.
The Weiguan Jinlong building, built in 1992, collapsed in seconds, completely blocking a six-lane highway.
Two days before Spring Festival, the Chinese holiday of family reunions, and the Weiguan Jinlong building was crammed with the relatives of residents, including Hsu's parents, his brother Hung-chuan, sister-in-law Shu-yuan and their 11-year old daughter Yu-hui.
WHO ARE THEY?
Tsao and her husband worked for the same insurance company, Tsao as regional manager, and Hsu as a wealth management advisor.
"They were very dedicated in whatever they did," one of Tsao's colleagues said with tears in her eyes. They were known as a perfect loving couple. Their social networking profiles are full of photos of them holding each other tight with big smiles on their faces.
"You couple are really sweet. How many of us are going to be so jealous?" reads a friend's comment under one photo.
When Kai-po was born, the baby quickly became the apple of the whole family's eye. "My grandson was so cute and clever, a chatterbox with smiles for everyone," Tsao's mother said. His second birthday was just a week before the earthquake.
THE SEARCH CONTINUES
At the scene, desperate yet methodical rescuers sifted through the rubble, never losing hope of finding signs of life. First thing on Monday morning, just minutes after the Year of the Monkey began, news came through from rescue headquarters.
"Of the eight trapped in floor 7 of Unit G, rescuers have located three. A lady named Tsao is pressed against her bed but can talk clearly with rescuers. She may be free in about 45 minutes."
Another survivor was found in Unit B, more than 10 hours after the previous survivor was found. Both time and hope were running out.
The rescue was not easy. Time ticked by and no updates came. It was 8 hours later when some good news finally arrived. Trapped for 52 hours, Tsao was freed and rushed to hospital. Neither husband Hsu nor her beloved Kai-po had survived.
ALIVE, ALONE
Tsao is now recovering. She may never be fully rehabilitated, physically or mentally, but her doctor describes her as very strong-minded.
Tsao and her husband were found pressed close together. It seemed the Hsu was trying his best to protect his wife and son. Rescuers had to first pull Hsu out to gain a little space to save Tsao. She had already realized that she might have lost them both as she had not heard any sound from them for a long time.
"When the quake came, I sat up to hug my son, and my husband rushed over to hold us," Tsao sobbed.
Tsao may not feel very fortunate, but she is alive. After she was saved, only three more survivors were found, all on that same day.
As of 10:00 p.m. Friday, the death toll of the quake has reached 99; among them 97 were found in Weiguan Jinlong. More than 20 are still unaccounted for.
On Friday morning, Hsu's brother Hung-chuan was found buried deep in the debris, beside his wife, both still clinging to Yu-hui.
