A retired Singaporean man who was in Palu to take part in a paragliding event over the weekend ended up being a hero of sorts, when he helped rescue a girl and her mum from first being stuck under the debris of the hotel he was staying at, and then escape the tsunami that followed.
53 year old Ng Kok Choong said he had just left the Mercure Hotel where he was staying at, when the ground started shaking violently. Realising immediately that he was in an earthquake, he saw the hotel building collapse, and then also noticed that the sea close to what was left of his hotel becoming rough and waves were building up. He immediately rushed back to Mercure Hotel to escape the incoming Tsunami, but instead came across a mother and her daughter stuck under the debris. Together with his friend, they managed to free the girl, but not the mother. The trio managed to escape the tsunami, and when the water cleared, Ng went back and was relieved to see the mother still alive.
The mother was finally freed when Ng and a few locals manged to lift the heavy concrete that was trapping the woman. Ng is now safely back in Singapore, after successfully being evacuated on Sunday.
