Rescuers save man trapped for five days<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Nias, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Rescuers pulled out a quake survivor trapped in a collapsed house
\non Saturday, five days after an 8.7-magnitude earthquake struck
\nthe remote Nias island, where up to 2,000 are feared to have been
\ncrushed under their homes.<\/p>\n
A rescue team tried to free the man after Indonesian soldiers
\npicking through rubble in the Nias capital of Gunung Sitoli said
\nthey heard a voice.<\/p>\n
\"Help, I'm very weak. I need something to drink,\" the trapped
\nman was quoted as saying by one of the soldiers.<\/p>\n
AFP reported that Indonesian, Singaporean and Mexican rescuers
\nmanaged to free the man, 40-year old Hendra Ho Keng, at around
\n5:30 p.m.<\/p>\n
\"He is suffering from abrasions, but his voice is strong,\"
\nsaid a Singaporean civil defense official at the scene.<\/p>\n
Around 1,500 Indonesian soldiers have been digging through the
\nrubble of houses, but rescuers who pulled several survivors from
\nbuildings earlier this week had said there was virtually no hope
\nof finding anyone else alive.<\/p>\n
The U.N. has said that 1,300 people may have died in Gunung
\nSitoli alone, and there are concerns the death toll could rise as
\nthey reach isolated parts of the island that have been cut off by
\nlandslides and damage to roads. Deaths have also been reported on
\nnearby islands.<\/p>\n
The government confirmed the death toll so far at 424, and
\nsaid that the figure would not surpass 500, which is far lower
\nthan its early estimate of 2,000.<\/p>\n
Visiting Vice President Jusuf Kalla asserted there were no
\nproblems with the amount of food despite pleas and complaints
\nfrom affected islanders over shortages.<\/p>\n
\"There is no problem with the amount of food. The problem lies
\nin its distribution,\" Kalla told reporters after meeting with
\nlocal officials.<\/p>\n
He said the government was sending more ships and helicopters
\nfrom the mainland and would try to restore the water supply there
\nwithin a week.<\/p>\n
Heavy rain and damaged roads have hampered relief and rescue
\nefforts, but increasing numbers of relief personnel and supplies
\nhave begun to reach major parts of the wrecked island.<\/p>\n
A village chief from the remote Banyak Islands, close to the
\nquake's epicenter, said the islanders had suffered no casualties
\nbut were desperate for food and water even though 10 tons of rice
\nwas unloaded by a relief boat on Friday.<\/p>\n
\"We urgently need rice and drinking water,\" Lukman told
\nReuters. \"The shops where all the rice and water were stored are
\nnow filled with salt water so we have no supplies left.\"<\/p>\n
The Banyaks are a chain of 99 small islands, 30 of which are
\ninhabited by about 6,000 people.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, an Australian medical ship backed by two
\nhelicopters arrived on Saturday to bolster the international aid
\nefforts there.<\/p>\n
\"It is sad to have to come back to this region, but it is a
\ngood opportunity for Australia to help its Indonesian neighbors,\"
\nsaid Lt. Col. Ian Spiers, an officer on the naval ship HMAS
\nKanimbla.<\/p>\n
The two Sea King helicopters attached to the ship will ferry
\nthe seriously injured from Nias to the Kanimbla, which has a
\nsurgical theater, intensive care unit, X-ray equipment, pathology
\nand post-operative care facilities. Medical teams from the ship
\nalso will go ashore to provide medical treatment.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/rescuers-save-man-trapped-for-five-days-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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