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Shirley Zhao

A group of Hong Kong medical students in Nepal say they could have been buried alive if they had not postponed a plan to hike in an area that was engulfed by a huge avalanche.
The Chinese University students were part of a 12-member group taking part in an exchange programme with hospitals in Kathmandu and Pokhara, epicentre of Saturday's earthquake.
One of the group in Pokhara told university president Joseph Sung Jao-yiu that they were planning to hike in the mountains but decided to postpone the trip, Sung wrote on his Facebook page yesterday.
"Thank God … otherwise we could have been buried in the avalanche," Sung quoted the student as saying.
Five of the 12 returned from Nepal yesterday morning. One of them, surnamed Wong, said he and other students were visiting a palace museum in Kathmandu when the quake struck.
They immediately ran out to an open space and stayed there for hours, he said, not realising the severity of the disaster as only a few bricks were dislodged from the museum.
"It was only later we learned that the quake was so big and then we started to feel afraid."
Wong said the hotel they were staying in was in a densely built, dangerous area, but a doctor at a local hospital allowed them to stay at his home, which was safer and had internet access so they could contact their families.
Their families then contacted the university and the Immigration Department to arrange their return to Hong Kong.
Another student, surnamed Lau, said he hoped the government could help other Hongkongers stuck in Nepal to get back home as soon as possible.
"We feel really happy to be able to return," he said. "We are really the luckiest group because we could come back so fast without any injuries."
He said the other exchange students were safe in Nepal, but they might not be able to contact family members due to electricity and communication problems. He said their relatives and friends should not worry about them.
Sung said in the Facebook post that he got calls for help from the students through Facebook and from a mother within an hour of the quake. He said one mother told him the students reported that they were safe and had been helping the injured.
"Yes, this is what we are trained for: to be there and to offer our help," Sung posted.
He agreed with one of the students, who quoted Charles Dickens, "This is the worst of times, this is the best of times".
"This is exactly how I felt during the calamity of Sars," said Sung. "In times of difficulties, you can see both sides of human nature."
He said the university would do its best to bring the students still in Nepal back home.
Meanwhile, 20-year-old Zachary Sheridan, brother of Australian actor Hugh Sheridan and an exchange student at Chinese University, finally contacted his family. His family told Australian media that he was safe and remained in Nepal.
Sheridan, who is studying communications, was on Mount Everest when the quake hit, Hugh Sheridan said on Twitter on Saturday. A day later, the actor said he was travelling to Nepal to look for his brother.
A Chinese University spokeswoman said the university had heard that Sheridan was safe but could not contact him directly.
The University of Hong Kong's dean of medicine, Gabriel Leung, also reported that the university's six graduating medical students who were on a study trip in Nepal were safe and well.
"I have been especially touched, albeit worried, that some of our students have offered to stay behind and return to the worst affected areas to help as relief workers," said Leung. "No matter whether they stay to help or return home directly, in the end their humanitarian spirit has shone through, and they have matured as budding medical practitioners."


Chinese University medics escaped death after cancelling hike

The Chinese University students in Nepal.Photo: SCMP Pictures

A view of the damage from an Indian Army helicopter, and the body of a woman trapped in the debris of a collapsed house. The UN says the earthquake affected eight million people. Photo: AFP

A view of the damage from an Indian Army helicopter, and the body of a woman trapped in the debris of a collapsed house. The UN says the earthquake affected eight million people.Photos: AFP, Reuters

The Chinese University students in Nepal. Photo: SCMP Pictures

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Chinese University students had planned to go hiking in an area that was later engulfed by avalanche but decided to postpone the trip
