Nepal earthquake: Teenager pulled alive from rubble on Day 6

 

 

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/04/30/asia/nepal-earthquake/index.html

 

 

 

Kathmandu, Nepal (CNN) On Day Six of Nepal's tragedy, life triumphed as rescuers pulled an 15-year-old from the rubble of a multistory residential building in one of Kathmandu's hard-hit neighborhoods.

 

A large crowd erupted in cheers as Pemba Tamang was carried out on a stretcher. He was wearing a New York shirt and a blue neck brace, was blanketed by dust and had the look of a deer in the headlights.

 

His rescuer, Inspector Lakshman Basnet of the Nepalese Armed Police Force, said Tamang was responsive and showed no apparent signs of serious injury.

He was given an IV drip and rushed from the Gongapur area to a temporary emergency hospital run by an Israeli aid team.

 

The Nepalese rescuers had been working for five hours to locate Tamang after they heard his voice coming from under the debris.

 

 

 

'It's dangerous, but it's what we do'

 

An American disaster response team was also involved in the rescue of the 15 years old boy. The team was at a nearby damaged bus station when it got word that someone might be alive.

 

Andrew Olvera, the head of the U.S. team, said his men rushed over with search dogs and equipment ranging from breaching tools to sophisticated cameras that can probe under the rubble.

 

He said the operation carried enormous risk, as chunks of the collapsed building hung precariously on rebar. Entire floors of what used to be people's homes were visible -- ceiling fans and beds still draped with cotton sheets. It was a mountain of loss and sorrow.

 

"It's dangerous, but it's what we do," said Olvera, who has a daughter and twin 11-year-old boys. "It's risk versus gain. To save a human life, we will risk almost everything.

"The way the building is, it's definitely a miracle," he said.

 

Man 'survived by good faith'

 

Tamang cried for water in a muffled voice. He had been buried for five days under a building that pancaked. He dodged death because of a motorcycle that shielded him from the pressure of the concrete and steel, according to Basnet.

 

And, Basnet said, he "survived by good faith."

Dennis Bautista, who went down to where Tamang was buried to administer medical aid, called the rescue amazing.

 

"It feels good to be able to help out. I can't imagine what he went through," Bautista said. "He is a brave young man."

Basnet said once he got closer to Tamang, he tried to reassure him that he would be OK.

"I gave him water and talked to him regularly," Basnet said.

 

 

Rescuers continue search

 

After Tamang was rushed to the hospital, the US Agency for International Development team continued the search. The possibility remained that someone else might have survived, like Tamang.

 

 

 

6일만에 구조가 됐다니 놀라운 일이다.

게다가 겉보기엔 심각한 부상도 없어보인다니 그저 기적이라고밖엔 말할 수 없을 것 같다. 15살 소년 Tamang의 구조 소식이 많은 사람들에게 희망을 줬을 것이다. 구조팀도 수색을 계속 한다고 하는데 2010년 아이티 대지진 때 27일만에 구조된 사람도 있었던 것처럼 더 많은 생존자가 구조되길 바란다.

 

There are lots of miracles in the worlds. Sometimes it comes without any signs.

This is the right time to see the miracles.