Four Shanghai Rescuers for Sanchi

World
Europe

These are the four rescuers who boarded the burning oil tanker, amid roaring flames from over a million barrels of condensate.

XU JUNLIN RESCUER WHO BOARDED BURNING SANCHI "We reached the deck through a suspension coop. We were not sure if we could come back alive, so we took a group photo before we went."

XU ZHENTAO RESCUER WHO BOARDED BURNING SANCHI "The scenario was the worst I have ever seen. The moment we approached the tanker, the heat of the blaze and the strong smell of the smoke triggered my sensor. I immediately turned on my oxygen carrier."

The tanker burned for a week, after a collision with Hong Kong freighter CF Crystal. By then, 31 of the tanker's crew members remained unaccounted for.

XU ZHENTAO RESCUER WHO BOARDED BURNING SANCHI "Our mission is to find the black box and the crew members. Dead or alive, we must bring them back with some dignity."

XU JUNLIN RESCUER WHO BOARDED BURNING SANCHI "We were planning to wear anti-chemical suits, but it would restrict our movement. So we decided last minute just to wear ordinary suits."

XU ZHENTAO RESCUER WHO BOARDED BURNING SANCHI "We only had limited time, because our oxygen can only sustain for 40 minutes."

From the deck surrounded by toxic gas created by the burning condensate, they managed to recover 2 bodies. Notice the yellow bag, it's how they brought them home from the flames in the middle of the ocean. They also retrieved the black box.

XU ZHENTAO RESCUER WHO BOARDED BURNING SANCHI "We were in huge danger when we located the black box. The wind direction suddenly changed toward us, and we immediately felt the smell of the toxic smoke. So we shouted: just pull it off and go, NOW!"

FENG YAJUN RESCUER WHO BOARDED BURNING SANCHI "I pulled the black box off from the ship. I also sensed the change in the wind, but all I was thinking was to get the black box and bring the data back."

Then they tried to enter the cabin, but temperatures of 89 degrees Celsius prevented them from going any further.

HAN PENG SHANGHAI "The four rescuers spent a total of 26 minutes on board. They say their oxygen was used up just a few minutes after they left the extreme conditions."

It was the first and the last boarding by rescuers. Within 24 hours, the tanker exploded and sank, leaving behind a catastrophic oil spill, a heartbreak for the families of the victims, and a story of one of the most courageous acts in the sea of flames. Han Peng, CGTN, Shanghai.