The tales of young survivors who were away at school while the rest of their families were swept away would bring tears to the eyes. The plight of around 4,500 people who have been rendered homeless after the ice-rock avalanche crashed to the Himalayan valley with a bang and exhibited the raw power of nature in a 40-foot tsunami of mud, rock and debris, which swamped the Chinese immigration centre in the Gyriong Port, renders this a heartbreaking episode of contemporary history