RE-ENACTMENT OF ‘SIRU ISLAND MIRACLE’

[Anchor Lead]

Fifty years ago an island village in Danyang, Chungcheongbuk-do Province, was completely submerged in water due to flooding. Some 200 residents escaped the flood by climbing onto a large water tank and spending there more than ten hours. An event re-enacting the disaster has been held to ponder the meaning of the miraculous escape.

[Pkg]

Middle school students donning training attire climb a round structure. They try to huddle as tightly as possible so as to not slip down. Some link arms. A total of 197 students climbed this structure measuring five meters in diameter and almost 20 sq.m. They pulled together so that no one would fall down. This event re-enacts a massive flood that hit Siru Island 50 years ago, forcing more than 200 island residents to climb on a water tank to survive.

[Soundbite] Kim Hyun-kyung(Danyang Middle School Student) : "It's amazing that they stayed there for 14 hours. I wouldn't be able to pull it off. It's really astonishing."

An entire village of Jeungdo in Danyang, Chungcheongbuk-do Province was submerged in water when Typhoon Betty hit Korea in 1972. The stranded residents climbed on a water tank measuring five meters in diameter and six meters tall. They stayed there all night.

[Soundbite] Kim Eun-ja(Danyang Flood Survivor) : "It was chaos. We just waited all night for the water to recede."

A newborn baby died in mother's arms while the residents were huddling tight. But the baby's mother did not say anything -- she was worried something more serious would happen. The residents managed to survive by helping and comforting one another. The re-enactment event brought back the memories of that unforgettable day. On August 19 a special event will be organized to bring together some 50 survivors of the massive flood.