The Universal Peace Federation (UPF) had planned and prepared for two "marriage blessing programs" on the day of the earthquake. One was in Balambu, Kathmandu for more than 700 couples and the other in Morang for 1,200 couples. Our Regional President for UPF-Asia, Dr Chung Sik Yong, was visiting Nepal specifically to attend the program in Kathmandu.
Dr Yong was in the greenroom ready to go onto the dais when the magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck. Recalling his initial thoughts, he said later, "At first, it sounded like I was at a train station and a train was approaching." Then he asked himself, "Is there a train station near here?" They were in the rural area of the Kathmandu Valley. Obviously there was no train coming.
As the floor in front of him began to shake violently, he quickly realized it was an earthquake. The building right in front of him collapsed. A minute later he surveyed the village from his vantage point and saw clouds of dust across the skyline having arisen from hundreds of collapsed buildings and homes.
The function was cancelled. But still participants were so grateful. If they had not been there for the "marriage blessing" function, they would be elsewhere and anything could have happened to them. The tented venue of the event was immediately turned into a shelter for earthquake victims.
Although the earthquake brought untold death and destruction, it could have been far worse had it struck on a weekday.
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