At 8:06 p.m. on February 16, China Airlines Flight CI-167 from Bali, Indonesia, crashed just outside of the Chiang Kai-shek International Airport in Taiwan. The plane came down on the Hsipin Expressway, near the airport's northern runway. All 196 people on board the plane died instantly, and another six people in nearby houses and a passing taxi were also killed. In total, 202 people died in the accident.

When the news was broadcast, the Tzu Chi Foundation immediately set up an emergency center under the guidance of Master Cheng Yen. Within minutes, eighteen Tzu Chi members from Taoyuan rushed to the crash site. Because they could not enter the crash site, they went to bring support to victims' families who had been taken to the nearby airport hotel. With the help of county magistrate Lu Hsiu-lien and at the request of these family members, the Tzu Chi members were allowed to enter the temporary morgue at the crash site and to chant the name of Amitatbha Buddha for the deceased. The Tzu Chi members were divided into seven groups, and they took turns every two hours, unceasingly chanting throughout the tragic night.

At the crash site, the remains of the Airbus A300 were scattered everywhere. A watch on the ground indicated 8:10 p .m.-the time when the flight was supposed to arrive at the airport.

Yang Fu, a 64-year-old man living just next to the house that was destroyed by the crash, was very lucky to escape this accident. "I heard a loud noise, so I went out to see what was going on. All I saw was a huge fireball, so I got scared, ran back into my house and hid under a table. I didn't know what to do." After the incident, he could not sleep . He simply looked at his house, which had been sealed off by the police , and sighed.

There was still a lot of noise at the gruesome scene. People looking for survivors were by now picking up only various body parts. The hope in their hearts had turned to ashes.

Attempting to hold back their tears, bereavement and anger, family members removed white sheets one by one, attempting to identify loved ones who had been burnt and torn to pieces . Those who found their loved ones offered white lily flowers for the victims. They prayed that the deceased could leave this world in peace. They also prayed for their own recovery from this trauma.

However...

"Where is my sister? Can anyone tell me where my sister is?" Near collapse, one woman still searched for her sister. There were also many other people who could not find their loved ones. They simply kneeled down and prayed for guidance from gods, buddhas and the victims themselves to show them where their corpses were.

Family members were exhausted, numb, and unable to express their grief. Tzu Chi members extended their hands to comfort them, hoping to transmit compassion and love.

Sister Ching Chu said, "If the deceased were our own loved ones, how could we not feel anything?" She was one of those who consoled victims' families. Praying for tranquility for the living and peaceful rest for the deceased was the sincere wish of all the Tzu Chi members.

"He can't be your son anymore, so chant the name of Amitabha for him so that he may go peacefully," Sister Ching Chu counseled a grief-stricken woman. The woman folded her hands together and prayed with tears rolling down her cheeks.

From the crash site to the funeral parlors, the Buddha's name was perhaps the greatest support for both the living and the deceased.

The military also dispatched a large contingent of soldiers to clean up the crash site and to search for bodies.

Wading through the mud, Tzu Chi members brought boxes of dry food and soft drinks to exhausted soldiers. "You should take a rest now," said Tzu Chi brothers like loving fathers. They knew that the soldiers still had a lot of work to do later on.