(XINHUA)

Pei Yonghong, a 31-year-old migrant worker, has been chosen as one of the 11 Outstanding Young Migrant Workers of Hunan Province in central China for his heroic deeds in preventing a train accident and saving thousands of people's lives.

Pei is a coordinator at a power plant in Hunan responsible for warning train drivers to slow down or stop when necessary.

On March 11, a train carrying 38 tanks of gasoline was backing into a shed on a rainy day. Pei was carefully observing the distance and ready to stop the train. He suddenly discovered his wireless intercom wasn't working and the train was about to crash into an oil depot, which could have resulted in the deaths of thousands of people nearby. Pei immediately shouted to the driver but his voice vanished in the heavy weather.

In order to prevent a disaster from occurring, Pei jumped from a train he was sitting on and rushed toward an instrument room for the backup wireless intercom. As the ground was slippery because of the rain, Pei fell on tracks and a train ran over him, severing his right arm from his body. Despite great pain, Pei dashed into the instrument room and successfully stopped the train in time.

Pei's heroic deed was widely reported around China and moved many people because of his strong sense of responsibility in his job. Although disabled in the accident, Pei retains an optimistic attitude toward life.