Passengers march overnight to leave stranded train
Passengers and rescuers walk along the railway tracks.
A first group of 328 passengers arrived at Beijing Fengtai Railway Station this morning after being trapped in a train for two days due to days of downpours and floods in Beijing and Hebei Province, then walking for several hours overnight for a distance of 13 kilometers.
The passengers, mostly young people between the ages of 20 and 40, were given water, food and medical assistance upon arrival. Four hundred taxis were organized to transport them elsewhere with the costs covered by railway authorities.
Train K396 from Wuhai West Railway Station in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region to Beijing Fengtai Railway Station was stranded at Luopoling Railway Station in Mentougou District in Beijing on July 31, after landslides and floods triggered by rainstorms cut off the rail routes.
Forty soldiers marched for four hours and arrived at Luopoling at 6pm on August 1, carrying food and supplies for the passengers. At 10:50pm, a reenforcement of another 500 soldiers arrived, bringing with them clothing and medical supplies.
Led by soldiers, the first batch of passengers set off at 1:45am on August 2 and arrived at Xiehejian Railway Station before dawn. They were then transported to Fengtai station.
The rest of the passengers will leave the stranded train in groups later today.
Passengers and rescuers rest during the march.
