Ten years ago, when Sun Chi-kuang (孫啟光) walked out from the wreckage of the Tunghsing building in Taipei after his older brother, Sun Chi-fong (孫啟峰), was lifted out of the rubble six days after the 921 Earthquake, loud cheers erupted from relatives and rescue workers and a new sense of hope emerged.
The Tunghsiung building was the only structure in Taipei City to be completely destroyed by the quake. Eighty-seven people were killed, 105 injured and more than 250 left homeless in the collapse.
During the six days before the younger Sun, who was 19 years of age at that time, dug a tunnel behind a smashed refrigerator and crawled out of the rubble, the two brothers stayed alive by eating rotten apples and drinking stale water and their own urine. In the darkness, they called out each other’s name to confirm their existence and Sun Chi-fong had his 24th birthday celebration under the ruins.
PHOTO: LIU HSIN-DE, TAIPEI TIMES
For many, the morning the younger Sun walked out and yelled “My name is Sun Chi-kuang, a survivor!” was a miracle. For the two brothers, the fear and trauma left by the quake is still alive today.
Ever since the earthquake, the two Suns always place a bottle of water and flashlight at their bedside and always have the light on before going to sleep.
“Ten years on, I am still afraid of earthquakes,” Sun Chi-kuang said.
PHOTO: LIU HSIN-DE, TAIPEI TIMES
The older Sun said memories of the quake and the following six days are still vivid. He and his brother were playing poker when the quake hit their home. They dove under a table, which shielded them from falling debris.
Relatives of the Suns, including the entire family of their aunt, who lived on the fourth floor of the building, did not survive the quake.
As survivors whose miraculous story was broadcast throughout the country, for a long time the two brothers lived with a sense of guilt and enormous pressure as they tried not to fall short of public expectations.
“We’ve been trying to live our lives ... and learned that the best way to repay the kindness and help from those who saved us is to live in the moment,” Sun Chi-fong said while attending a memorial concert organized by Taipei City’s Fire Department in Da-an Park on Saturday.
The older Sun, who is now a computer engineer, would normally celebrate his 35th birthday tomorrow. However, he holds his birthday celebration on Sept. 21 instead.
“I still think about the quake and to me, Sept. 21 is my birthday because me and my brother were reborn on that day” he said.
The two brothers kept a low profile over the years and turned down various interviews and invitations so they could lead a quiet life. On the 10th anniversary of 921, however, they accepted an invitation by the Taipei City Government, not only to thank officers from the Fire Department who rescued them, but also to encourage survivors of Typhoon Morakot through example.
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