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Thirty years may have passed, but for Else Lidegaard memories of her second night in Tangshan will never fade.

The journalist from Denmark was one of 47 foreign survivors of the devastating earthquake that flatten the city, killing hundreds of thousands of residents while they were asleep.

In late July 1976 South China was sweltering, so the group of European journalists she was with decided to come north after spending five days in Hong Kong and other southern cities. After visiting Beijing's landmarks and underground city, they decided to come to Tangshan.

"It was our second night there," said Lidegaard, recounting the moment the earthquake struck.

"We had spent the evening at a theatre, enjoying a children's circus performance. The children were so adorable with their rabbit head dressings"

After the performance she returned to Tangshan Hotel, where 51 foreigners were staying. There were 19 in her delegation, 23 in a French delegation and 9 Japanese engineers.

At 3:42 am, while everyone was sound asleep, the quake struck.

"I didn't know what happened. As the building swayed, I thought it had been hit by a nuclear bomb," she said.

"It was totally black. Holding each other's hands we managed to find the exit, but it was blocked," she said.

She then rushed to the doorway, as she knew it was the strongest part of a building and the safest place to wait for help. "After a while we heard one of the group calling to us, telling us to climb out of the window by tying together bedsheets."

"By this time we were very scared. An elderly man from the Faroe Islands said: 'It is not possible to have been born in Kivik (a little village in the Faroes) and die in an earthquake in Tangshan!'"

As she left the window of the hotel, she saw her first glimpse of the damage the earthquake had wreaked.

While Lidegaard was unscathed, three Japanese men and one French woman died.

"The French woman died because she had taken some sleeping medicine and did not wake up quickly enough. One Dane tried to revive her, but it was in vain."

"We were short of clothes and food. We stuck together, our own refugee group," she said.

Zhao Fengming and Li Baochan, then officials of the Tangshan Foreign Affairs Office, rushed to the hotel and organized the rescue, despite Zhao himself suffering an injured foot.

"We were deeply impressed by our Chinese guides. They only thought of helping us even though some of them had families at home," she said.

"The Chinese government was quick to give us priority treatment."

They were sent to a military camp and afterwards to Beijing, which was rattled by an aftershock.

"We spent the night on the bus and the next morning we were evacuated to Shanghai," she said.

Lidegaard returned to Tangshan for the first time last year, and when she was there she donated the clothes and shoes she wore that night to the museum.

"I was very happy to return last year, and especially happy to meet our local guides and friends. We were the guests of the town and had a fantastic week there as sort of "unfortunate heroes'"

"We left a town in a disaster, but we found it new and modern and rebuilt it is very impressive," she said.

"I wanted to bring my heartfelt sympathy and gratitude to the city of Tangshan and all its habitants. I feel we are friends."

(China Daily July 28, 2006)