Elderly woman found alive under rubble days after Indonesia quake
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Jakarta: An 84-year-old woman was rescued alive from the ruins of her home in eastern Indonesia, three days after a powerful earthquake struck off Flores island.
Paulina Pobi was found trapped beneath the collapsed bamboo structure of her house in Nitunglea village, which had been cut off after an earthquake-triggered landslide blocked access to the area.
The 7.7-magnitude quake struck on Saturday morning, killing at least 73 people, injuring more than 900 and forcing nearly 60,000 residents from their homes.
Pobi, who is paralysed, could neither move nor call for help after her house collapsed, local official Rudolfus Riba said. Her family located her only on the fourth day after the disaster.
“She is in good health; there were no injuries at all. She was just a bit weak because she hadn’t eaten or drunk anything for days,” Riba said, describing the rescue as almost miraculous.
She was evacuated from the village and admitted to the nearest health centre for treatment.
While shops, petrol stations and other businesses have begun reopening in some parts of Flores, rescue personnel are continuing to search damaged areas for people who may still be trapped.
Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency said 398 tonnes of emergency supplies, including food, tents, temporary shelters and public donations, had been sent to affected communities.
However, relief operations have been slowed by the island’s rugged terrain and roads damaged by the shallow earthquake. The government has deployed military aircraft, ships and personnel to improve access to remote disaster-hit areas.
Indonesia’s geological agency said more than 3,000 aftershocks had been recorded since Saturday. At least 86 of them were strong enough to be felt by residents, prompting many displaced families to remain outside their damaged homes.
Regional police chief Rudi Darmoko said those displaced were dealing with both physical injuries and psychological trauma, especially children.
Indonesia is prone to major earthquakes because it lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire, a seismically active zone extending from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific.