Relatives eager to see beloved buried in Tibet landslide

He Yuan, 19, who is still buried in the debris of a massive landslide in Tibet Autonomous Region, probably has no chance to marry his Mrs. Right.

He, a native of a poor mountainous village of Xishui County of southwest China's Guizhou Province, has planned to marry his girlfriend when he reaches 22, the legal age of marriage in China.

To get money to treat his sick father, He Yuan quit school at 16 years old and found a job in a shoe factory in the eastern booming city of Wenzhou where he met his darling.

He moved to work in a polymetal mine in Tibet half a month ago where he could earn 8,000 yuan (1,288 U.S. dollars) to 9,000 yuan monthly, hoping to earn more to support his family.

His dream was crushed in early Friday morning when rolling rocks totaling 2 million cubic meters in volume smashed his camp.

He Yuan and his brother-in-law Zhao Malin were among the 83 buried.

Zhao's brother, who also worked at the mine and went down the mountain to buy tents on Thursday, was shocked to find on Friday morning that the mine was distorted and the camp had totally gone, according to He Guoxiang, He Yuan's uncle.

Together with Yuan Song, He Yuan's another uncle, He Guoxiang will fly to Lhasa, capital of Tibet Autonomous Region, wishing to see their loved ones.

"My sister is very weak and her husband is suffering from cerebral hemorrhage. We are going to Lhasa on behalf of our whole family," Yuan told a Xinhua reporter on Saturday at the Jiangbei International Airport in Chongqing Municipality where they will board a plane to Lhasa Sunday morning.

Nearly 36 hours after the landslide, rescuers retrieved the body of a miner. Some 3,500 rescuers are still searching for the remaining 82 buried in the debris although their chance of survival is slim.

"He yuan is the only son of my sister," said Yuan. "How can she survive without him?"

Once a naughty boy who had immersed himself in the Internet cafe playing online games, He Yuan seems to has "grown up overnight" since his father fell ill, Yuan said. "He has worked hard and saved every penny for treating his sick father and hoping to improve the livelihood of his family."

In the eyes of Yuan Song and He Guoxiang, Zhao Malin is a good man, who is polite and friendly to others. Zhao's wife is five months pregnant.

"How could this be that we lose two loved ones at one time?" Yuan cried.

"Anyway, we should meet them," he said.