The police couple, who were at one time reported missing after the most severe earthquake in Sichuan, arrived home safe and sound on the evening of May 20.

The first thing Police Constable Tsang Heung-kam, from Marine South Division, and his wife, Police Constable Vicky Tsang Chan Wai-ki from North Point Division, did was to thank all Hong Kong citizens for their care and concern about their safety.

During an interview with OffBeat, the couple stressed: "One must keep one's cool in the face of any disaster." They owed their ability to remain calmer than the average panic-stricken civilians during the earthquake and the numerous aftershocks to the police training they had received.

Rations of food and water

As the communication network was paralysed, they had no idea how much longer they would be stranded on the 400 to 500 metres stretch of a road. Hence, they immediately gathered the only food and water at hand - seven to eight bottles of mineral water, two cans of food and two cups of instant noodles, and started rationing these items for two days among themselves and the three-member photo crew.

On May 14, the People's Liberation Army made the damaged bridge passable by means of wooden boards and told them to go to a nearby small town, Sanguanmiao, where the situation was less serious, to replenish food and water.

Helping quake-stricken villagers

They headed for a nearby town, Weizhou, in Wenchuan, on learning that communication there partially resumed on May 15. However on arrival they could hardly contact the outside world. They then returned to Sanguanmiao, and on the way bought food and drinks for Sanguanmiao villagers at their own expenses. Naturally, what they bought were not enough for all the over 300 villagers. They also made shuttle journeys in a car between the only source of water two kilometres away and the village to fill up any utensils they could find with water for the villagers, such as plastic buckets and other containers, etc.

When communication finally resumed in Weizhou on May 16, the couple received telephone calls and short messages from their seniors and colleagues to cheer them up. A Liaison Bureau officer and their seniors even kept updating the couple on the latest situation of the earthquake and the routes they could use to return to Chengdu as soon as possible.

After their return to Hong Hong, the couple was received by Commissioner Tang King-shing and some senior directorate officers on May 22, who showed care and concern about their ordeal in Sichuan. To this fine gesture by the management, the couple is very grateful, and hopes to resume normal life as soon as possible.

The couple has tried their best to help earthquake victims despite their own ordeal