Chinese woman pushed off cliff in 2019 reunites with rescuers

Wang Nan, 37, wipes away tears of joy while hugging one of the four officials who rescued her after her husband pushed her off a cliff in Pha Taem National Park in Ubon Ratchathani province on June 9, 2019. (Photo: Office of the Pha Taem National Park)
Wang Nan, 37, wipes away tears of joy while hugging one of the four officials who rescued her after her husband pushed her off a cliff in Pha Taem National Park in Ubon Ratchathani province on June 9, 2019. (Photo: Office of the Pha Taem National Park)

A Chinese woman was reportedly pushed off a cliff by her husband in Ubon Ratchathani in 2019 and survived returned to thank four national park officials who rescued her.

Wang Nan, 37, shed tears of joy while hugging each of the four male rescuers at the office of the Pha Taem National Park on Saturday.

On the morning of June 9, 2019, Ms Wang, then three months pregnant, and her husband Yu Xiaodong, then aged 33, visited the cliff near Pha Taem Viewpoint to see the sunrise. Her husband reportedly pushed her off the cliff but she and her unborn child survived after her 34-metre fall was broken by trees.

Ms Wang suffered fractures in her left thigh, left arm, left collar bone, hip bone and knees. A Thai tourist found her lying severely injured on a trail and alerted park officials. The four rescuers gave first aid and rushed her to hospital.

During the reunion, Ms Wang offered thanks and praised the quick response of everyone involved in the incident five years ago.

Thai police arrested Yu on an attempted murder charge about a week after the fall, saying money was the motive.

In an interview with South China Morning Post, Ms Wang said while standing on the cliff Yu gently kissed her on the cheek and said “Go to hell” before pushing her over the edge.

Yu was reportedly addicted to gambling and had a lot of debt. He asked Ms Wang to settle a debt of 2 million yuan for him but his wife gave him only 1 million, telling him to pay the rest himself.

According to the Straits Times, Thailand's Supreme Court sentenced Yu to 33 years and 4 months in jail. The paper also said her unborn baby did not survive the fall, and it was not immediately possible to determine if this was true.

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Vocabulary

  • charge : an official statement accusing someone of committing a crime - ข้อกล่าวหา
  • cliff: a steep side of an area of high land - หน้าผา
  • debt (noun): an amount of money that you owe - หนี้, นี้สิน
  • fracture: a break or crack in something hard, especially a bone - การแตก (โดยเฉพาะกระดูก)
  • gambling: the activity of betting money, for example in a game or on a horse race - การพนัน
  • joy: a feeling of great happiness - ความสุขสันต์,ความสุขสำราญ
  • motive: a reason for doing something - แรงจูงใจ
  • officials: people who have the power to make decisions or enforce the law - เจ้าหน้าที่ผู้มีอำนาจ
  • pregnant: having a baby developing inside the body - ท้อง ตั้งครรภ์
  • rescuers (noun): people who save someone from a dangerous or unpleasant situation - ผู้ช่วยชีวิต
  • response: a reaction to something that has happened or been said - การตอบสนอง
  • reunion: a situation in which people meet each other again after a period of time when they have been separated - การพบกันอีกครั้ง
  • shed tears: cried - ร้องไห้
  • survive: to continue to live - มีชีวิตรอด
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