Bangladesh - News May 10, 2013 Dhaka building collapse Woman pulled alive from rubble after 17 days
bangla news Bangladesh survivor - Dhaka building collapse: Woman pulled alive from rubble after 17 days A woman has been pulled alive from the ruins of an eight-story building that collapsed in a suburb of Bangladesh's capital, Dhaka, 17 days ago. For days, every call for survivors in the rubble of Rana Plaza in Bangladesh had gone unanswered. Today a female voice, weakened by 17 days trapped in a sun-baked ruin of concrete and masonry, called back "Save me" -- and a rescue hailed as a "miracle" took place. Bangladeshi rescuers have found a woman survivor in the rubble of a garment factory complex which collapsed and killed more than 1,000 people on April 24, the country's fire service chief told AFP news agency. One of the rescuers said that the woman had cried out for help as recovery teams sifted through the wreckage more than 16 days after the nine-storey Rana Plaza complex collapsed on the outskirts of the capital Dhaka. "As we were clearing rubble, we called out if anyone was alive," the unnamed rescuer told the private Somoy TV channel. Army officials ordered workers to stop clearing the site Friday as they tried to free a person they said might still be alive. More than 2,500 people were rescued in the immediate aftermath of the building collapse. Reshma Akhter, an 18-year-old seamstress, was dug out of the twisted wreckage of a building where 1,045 other people are known to have died. She survived in a cavity, finding herself with enough food and water to achieve one of the greatest feats of endurance in the aftermath of disaster. Rescuers said the woman, named Reshma, was found in the remains of the second floor of the Rana Plaza after they heard her crying: "Please save me." She has been taken to hospital, but is not thought to have serious injuries. More than 1,000 are now confirmed to have died, most of them women working in clothes factories. The authorities said 2,437 people had been rescued, of whom about 1,000 had suffered serious injuries. AdvertisementReshma: "I kept banging whatever I could with my legs but no-one could hear me" Dozens lost limbs as they were cut free from the wreckage. The accident is one of the deadliest industrial disasters in history. Crews using heavy machinery have begun removing rubble from the worst-damaged areas, and are expecting to find more bodies. Brig-Gen Siddiqul Alam said rescuers had found a huge number of bodies under staircases. "When the building started to collapse, workers thought they would be safe under the staircases. Each time we moved a slab of concrete, we found a stack of bodies," he said. Continue reading the main story " Start Quote Over two weeks after collapse, there is still no agreement on exactly how many workers and staff were present in the building" End Quote Sabir Mustafa BBC Bengali service How many missing? 'I'm still here' Soldiers were reported to have been preparing to break through a large concrete slab at about 15:15 local time (10:15 GMT) on Friday when the woman was discovered. The worker who first discovered her told the BBC Bengali service: "I was cutting iron rods when I suddenly found a silvery stick just moving from a hole. "I looked closer and heard someone calling 'Please save me'. I immediately called over soldiers and firefighters." Officers ordered workers operating heavy machinery to stop, and rescuers used video and audio detection equipment to locate her exact position. Crews saw a woman waving her hand, and she shouted "I'm still here" and told rescuers her name was Reshma. Within minutes, hundreds of soldiers and firefighters rushed to the scene to help clear the rubble, says the BBC's Akbar Hossain in Dhaka. The woman said that she was not badly hurt, and she was given water and biscuits while handsaws and drilling equipment were brought in to cut through iron rods and debris.
- published: 10 May 2013
- views: 1709
http://wn.com/Bangladesh__News_May_10,_2013_Dhaka_building_collapse_Woman_pulled_alive_from_rubble_after_17_days bangla news Bangladesh survivor - Dhaka building collapse: Woman pulled alive from rubble after 17 days A woman has been pulled alive from the ruins of an eight-story building that collapsed in a suburb of Bangladesh's capital, Dhaka, 17 days ago. For days, every call for survivors in the rubble of Rana Plaza in Bangladesh had gone unanswered. Today a female voice, weakened by 17 days trapped in a sun-baked ruin of concrete and masonry, called back "Save me" -- and a rescue hailed as a "miracle" took place. Bangladeshi rescuers have found a woman survivor in the rubble of a garment factory complex which collapsed and killed more than 1,000 people on April 24, the country's fire service chief told AFP news agency. One of the rescuers said that the woman had cried out for help as recovery teams sifted through the wreckage more than 16 days after the nine-storey Rana Plaza complex collapsed on the outskirts of the capital Dhaka. "As we were clearing rubble, we called out if anyone was alive," the unnamed rescuer told the private Somoy TV channel. Army officials ordered workers to stop clearing the site Friday as they tried to free a person they said might still be alive. More than 2,500 people were rescued in the immediate aftermath of the building collapse. Reshma Akhter, an 18-year-old seamstress, was dug out of the twisted wreckage of a building where 1,045 other people are known to have died. She survived in a cavity, finding herself with enough food and water to achieve one of the greatest feats of endurance in the aftermath of disaster. Rescuers said the woman, named Reshma, was found in the remains of the second floor of the Rana Plaza after they heard her crying: "Please save me." She has been taken to hospital, but is not thought to have serious injuries. More than 1,000 are now confirmed to have died, most of them women working in clothes factories. The authorities said 2,437 people had been rescued, of whom about 1,000 had suffered serious injuries. AdvertisementReshma: "I kept banging whatever I could with my legs but no-one could hear me" Dozens lost limbs as they were cut free from the wreckage. The accident is one of the deadliest industrial disasters in history. Crews using heavy machinery have begun removing rubble from the worst-damaged areas, and are expecting to find more bodies. Brig-Gen Siddiqul Alam said rescuers had found a huge number of bodies under staircases. "When the building started to collapse, workers thought they would be safe under the staircases. Each time we moved a slab of concrete, we found a stack of bodies," he said. Continue reading the main story " Start Quote Over two weeks after collapse, there is still no agreement on exactly how many workers and staff were present in the building" End Quote Sabir Mustafa BBC Bengali service How many missing? 'I'm still here' Soldiers were reported to have been preparing to break through a large concrete slab at about 15:15 local time (10:15 GMT) on Friday when the woman was discovered. The worker who first discovered her told the BBC Bengali service: "I was cutting iron rods when I suddenly found a silvery stick just moving from a hole. "I looked closer and heard someone calling 'Please save me'. I immediately called over soldiers and firefighters." Officers ordered workers operating heavy machinery to stop, and rescuers used video and audio detection equipment to locate her exact position. Crews saw a woman waving her hand, and she shouted "I'm still here" and told rescuers her name was Reshma. Within minutes, hundreds of soldiers and firefighters rushed to the scene to help clear the rubble, says the BBC's Akbar Hossain in Dhaka. The woman said that she was not badly hurt, and she was given water and biscuits while handsaws and drilling equipment were brought in to cut through iron rods and debris.
- published: 10 May 2013
- views: 1709
