A woman in her 90s trapped for five days under rubble caused by a huge earthquake in central Japan was rescued against the odds on Sunday.
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At least 128 people have died since the 7.5 magnitude tremor on New Year’s Day and its aftershocks — a toll sure to rise, with 195 others reported missing, according to local authorities.
The hope of finding survivors usually fades three days after a destructive quake. But the elderly woman spent five days under the wreckage of a collapsed house in the city of Suzu on the hard-hit Noto Peninsula before being saved on Saturday.
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She was taken to hospital and was able to hold a conversation, according to public broadcaster NHK. “Hang in there!” rescuers were heard calling to the woman in police footage from the rainy scene published by local media. “You’re gonna be OK!” they shouted. “Stay positive!”
“The priority has been to rescue people under the rubble, and to reach isolated communities,” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said in an interview with NHK on Sunday.
On Sunday, rain, sleet and snow made the recovery efforts of thousands of police, troops and other rescuers even more challenging. The cold weather is also likely to worsen conditions for more than 28,800 people in 404 government shelters. Continuous rain has increased the risk of fresh landslides, while heavy snow through Monday could cause more buildings to collapse under its weight, the regional government warned.