On the Beijing Road Central in Lhasa there was a clothing store called Yishion. At 3 P.M. on March 14th, chaos broke out on the street where Yishion was situated. An employee called Zhuoma, and her five colleagues were besieged in the store. They fled to a small room on the second floor.

At 3 P.M. on March 14th, chaos broke out on the street  where Yishion was situated.

Zhuoma said she hid under the bed. But she heard rioters outside breaking open the rolling gate at the entrance. She says she didn't know who they were, nor how many people she just heard them breaking into the store and smashing everything.

Zhuoma, survivor

Zhuoma said, "Before the riots, there was a glass door nearby. It was destroyed in the chaos. We were just crying. Everyone was shaking and couldn't speak."

The five young girls -- 24 year-old Yang Dongmei,  22 year-old Liu Yan, 21 year-old Cering Zhuoga, 19 year-old  Han Xingxing and 18 year-old Chen Jia -- were burned to  death tragic victims of the senseless violence.

By around 5 p.m., Zhuoma says she sensed that a semblance of calm had returned outside. So she quickly told her friends to try to escape. Zhuoma ran out the store, finding a place to hide in the yard of a nearby hostel. But after discovering the store was on fire her five other friends hiding in the store were unable to escape. The five young girls -- 24 year-old Yang Dongmei, 22 year-old Liu Yan, 21 year-old Cering Zhuoga, 19 year-old Han Xingxing and 18 year-old Chen Jia -- were burned to death tragic victims of the senseless violence.