Woman rescued after 124 hrs of China quake

New Delhi, May 19: A young woman survived without food and water for nearly 124 hours in a Chinese province before she was rescued from under the debris of a five-storey building which collapsed during last Monday's earthquake of 7.8 magnitude. The woman was rescued on the night intervening Friday-Saturday. At the time of the quake, she was at the first floor of the building and couldn't get out before the structure collapsed over her.

In what is being described as a miracle, she managed to stay alive more than 124 hours under the debris. "It is a miracle that a woman could survive 124 hours after being buried," the China Daily quoted a rescuing doctor as saying. He added that 72 hours was generally accepted as the prime time for survivors' rescue after a major quake.

Rescue workers found Bian (31) alive with life detection equipment at about 23:00 local time Friday, nearly 105 hours after the tremor. However, a huge pillar hampered the rescue efforts, but rescuers from the Wuhan hospital would not give up and kept digging. Their relentless efforts paid off, and Bian was finally pulled out safely 20 hours after being found.

Doctors said she had suffered some back injuries and had sent her to a local hospital.

Bian's relatives, including her 9-year-old daughter, her two elder sisters and her mother-in-law, all survived the deadly earthquake. Her husband is in a ssshospital for treatment as he was badly burnt by vitriol as a result of the earthquake.

Besides, there have been a few more 'miracles' in China. A 61-year-old woman was saved alive on Saturday evening by Russian rescuers after being buried for up to 127 hours in the rubble. The unidentified woman was the first survivor found by foreign rescue teams.

A 46-year-old man was saved alive in the wee hours of Saturday after being buried for almost 129 hours in the rubble of a collapsed residential building in Dujiangyan.

In Yingxiu Township, Jiang Yuhang (20), a highway administration employee, was extricated after being trapped for 123 hours in the rubble of his home.

Zhou Zhi, 33, was pulled alive at about 6 pm Saturday from the rubble of a workshop above ground at the Jinhe Mine in Hongbai Township in Shifang county.

A 52-year-old man Ji Zhongshan was pulled from a collapsed building of a former five-story hotel in Beichuan county, 117 hours after being trapped in the rubbles.

In a Taoist temple near Yinghua, Shifang, two monks were discovered after being stranded in the area for about five days after the tremor.

ANI