I just finished my lunch & was on the phone trying to transfer a patient to another hospital. Then the shaking start. Paused for a bit. Just another aftershake. So I initially thought. Unsurprising since we had close to 4000 of them since that September earthquake. But it didnt fade away like the ones before. It grew. It became very violent. Phone line cut. Lights flickered. Instictively I ducked under the table with 2 other colleagues. One huge printer tumbled next to me. After close to half a minute, the shake stopped. We bolted out of the 3rd floor, making our way out of the hospital hastily. Along the way, cracks were appearing along the hospital stairway. And the ED waiting room:
The hospital was evacuated, at least for those that can walk :) Stayed for an hour outside waiting what to do. People started trickling in from nearby places. Those with multiple lacerations were the first to come in. Then, makeshift ambulance, jeeps or vans, arrived carrying the injured or even the dead to the hospital. We triaged the patients outside:
I went back in the hospital, so did other docs and nurses, attending to the wounded. After a while, we needed the beds in the ward, so existing patient had to be discharged. So I went back to my wards, all the way back in 3rd floor. Lights still flickered on and off since the hospital generator couldn't handle the load. We did our work with mine lamps powered by hand propelled dynamo. 5 hours after the event, we managed to evacuate all patients that can be evacuated. Main electricity was back on. I went home at 1800 finding this:
Despite all this, alhmadulillah I was safe. In an earthquake that officially killed 113 people, with 200 still missing, 164 seriously injured and thousands injured, I came unscathed, my flat still standing with electricity, running water and internet. Half of my colleagues dont have home anymore. In fact, one of the death is one colleague of mine.
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