In Hualien, Taiwan, local firefighters reported a heartwarming discovery amidst the aftermath of the 7.2-magnitude earthquake that struck on April 3. A cat belonging to a woman who tragically lost her life while attempting to save it from a partially collapsed building was found alive on Tuesday.
The woman, identified as a 33-year-old surnamed Kang, had initially escaped unharmed from the building during the initial quake. However, she bravely rushed back inside moments later when the structure shifted during an aftershock, becoming trapped in the process, according to the Hualien County Fire Department.
Despite efforts by first responders to rescue her, Kang, a vocational senior high school teacher, was found pinned under a collapsed column with no signs of life in the afternoon and was declared deceased, the department revealed.
Reports indicate that Kang had been last seen informing neighbors of her intention to return to the building to rescue her beloved cat. The heartwarming reunion between owner and pet occurred when the feline was spotted on Tuesday amidst ongoing demolition work at the Uranus Building, specifically on the seventh floor, where it had become ensnared in metal bars.
The cat was confirmed to belong to a woman named Yu, who resided on the building’s eighth floor. In response to the discovery, Deng Zih-yu, director of Hualien County’s Department of Public Works, ordered a halt to demolition efforts and dispatched a ladder truck to facilitate the successful rescue of the stranded animal.
During the rescue operation, onlookers observing footage of the event noticed another orange cat in a nearby window. Subsequently, Kang’s family confirmed that it was indeed Kang’s cat. The fire department has since taken measures to set up a cage trap at the site in an attempt to safely rescue the animal.
