Earthquake survivors recall being trapped under debris

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Nias

"If we had to wait for another hour, we would not have made it," said Maya Chandra, recalling her ordeal in the day after Monday's earthquake when she was trapped under debris.

The 14-year-old girl's mother, Rosita, died due to lack of oxygen, along with Rosita's four siblings and 65-year-old mother.

They were trapped in their collapsed two-story house on Nias Island on Monday night as the quake hit western coastal areas of Sumatra.

Maya's aunt Lian, cousin Stephen, and father Hendrik Chandra, who was not home at the time of disaster, survived.

The junior high school student recalled that, together with Lian and Stephen, she had jumped into a wide crack in the ground, which was later closed over by a slab of concrete and a beam.

Although a small hole meant they had access to air they could not move a muscle for fear the rubble would cave in on them.

"My body hurt so much from holding up the beam and the concrete slab," she said.

Once in a while, she managed to scream for help. Fate was on her side as an uncle, who was searching for them, heard her and rescued the three with the help of several neighbors.

"If he hadn't heard us, it would've been the end. We were getting weaker and weaker," Maya said.

After her rescue, Maya searched for her mother and other relatives. They were all dead, aside from her mother who died soon after.

"I tried to get her to drink through a straw, but she was already very weak after being hit by a giant rock. She couldn't even drink -- and died a moment later," said Maya, bursting into tears.

The evacuation process continues here, albeit slowly, as volunteers use their bare hands to shift rubble.

However, four days after the quake, survivors were still being found.

Michael, 14, was found after being trapped for two days. He lost both his parents in the 8.7-magnitude earthquake.

"It was the most terrible experience of my life. I will never forget it," said Michael, who was hospitalized in Gunung Sitoli hospital. "I also thank the people who saved me...."