Survivor Discovered 15 Days After Haiti Earthquake

15 days after the earthquake in Haiti killed thousands, a teenage girl was discovered alive in rubble.

By Kathryn Hawkins. Posted on January 28 2010

More than two weeks after the earthquake in Haiti that destroyed hundreds of thousands of lives and homes, search-and-rescue operations had seized. Rescuers had given up hope for those trapped in the earthquake rubble, instead focusing their efforts on helping the quake’s survivors, many of whom were injured and had little access to food or water.

But yesterday, while walking past the rubble of a home in Port-au-Prince, someone heard a weak voice calling out beneath the gravel. French rescue teams were alerted, and immediately set to work lifting the debris to find the person who had cried for help.

Soon, they had dug a hole to uncover Darlene Etienne, a 17-year-old student at the nearby St. Gerard University, whose home had collapsed on top of her during the quake. Though rescuers held little hope of survivors staying alive in rubble for more than a few days, Etienne had lasted over two weeks, and was still conscious when the authorities pulled her out of the wreckage.

Authorities believe that Etienne was able to survive for so long because she may have had access to water from the home’s bathroom, and had a small amount of soda with her. Nonetheless, she wouldn’t have lasted much longer.

“She was in very bad shape,” rescuer Claude Fuilla told ABC News. “We had to rehydrate her for 15 minutes.”

Etienne was quickly flown to a hospital, and thanks to the rescuers’ assistance, it looks like she will be able to recover from her long ordeal.

“Now, her condition is stabilized,” said Fuilla. “She ate. She is speaking ... She is not very lucid, but she is OK.”

Filed under: General Interest, Health and Wellbeing,

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