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‘‘It was God who saved me’’: a Sri Lankan’s hairbreadth escape in the earthquake at Mandalay
View(s):Nishan Wimalasuriya, 40, who served as a teacher in the city of Mandalay, Myanmar, was one of those who were lucky to survive the powerful earthquake on March 28.
It was a Friday and Nishan, looking forward to the weekend, had just returned to his apartment complex, ‘Sky Villa’. He was residing on the 10th floor in Block D.
“Shortly after I returned, I thought that I should buy lunch for myself from the nearby restaurant. Instead of using the lift in block ‘D’ I crossed over the connecting bridge and used the lift in block ‘C’’, he recalled.
“I came to the ground floor and soon after stepping out of the building I heard a loud noise and saw people running away. I ran with them”, Nishan explained.
Looking back, he saw that the building where he lived had collapsed.
‘Indeed it was a miraculous escape. It was God who saved me,’ Nishan said.
A couple of people including persons known to Nishan as well as residential workers were buried in the rubble. Later, it was revealed that five teachers too had died when the building collapsed.
He realised that there were several casualties, and he quickly made his way back to his school. On the way he observed more damage caused by the earthquake.
‘Sky Villa’:The collapsed apartment complex he lived in
The school arranged accommodation in a hotel for him and his colleagues.
But in the melee Nishan had lost his passport, certificates and documents and his baggage had been destroyed.
On a subsequent visit to the location of the apartment complex he managed to find the damaged bag and some of the documents, but not the passport.
A few days later, he journeyed to Yangon (formerly known as Rangoon) after making contact with Sri Lankan officials at the embassy with the hope of returning home.
He said that the Sri Lankan staff at the embassy were helpful and took care of his needs and also put him in touch with Sri Lankan expatriates who in turn put him up at a hotel in the last few days before returning to his country.
The Sri Lankan embassy was helpful in preparing travel documents enabling his swift return to the country on April 16.
However, back in the country when he visited the Immigration office to obtain a new passport in place of the lost one, his plea that he had lost his belongings in the earthquake was ignored, and he was forced to pay Rs 40,000 for the new passport.
However Nishan is happy to have returned to his family safely, though he mourns those killed in the earthquake.
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