An 84-year-old woman has been found alive three days after a powerful earthquake struck Indonesia. She had been trapped beneath the wreckage of her home and was unable to walk or call for help.
Paulina Pobi was discovered by relatives on Aug. 18. A magnitude-7.7 earthquake had struck near Flores island on Aug. 15, damaging or destroying hundreds of buildings across the region.
Pobi lived on a small island north of Flores. Her home was among the buildings that collapsed during the earthquake.
Family believed she had already been rescued
At first, Pobi’s relatives believed rescuers had taken her to an evacuation shelter. However, they later discovered that she was still missing.
The family returned to the damaged home and searched through the debris. They eventually found Pobi trapped beneath collapsed bamboo walls.
Because Pobi is paralysed, she could not move from the wreckage on her own. She also struggled to attract attention while trapped.
Local official Rudolfus Riba said Pobi escaped serious injury. However, she was weak after spending several days without food or water. Despite the ordeal, officials said she was in relatively good condition.
Her rescue brought some positive news as communities continued to deal with widespread destruction.
Thousands displaced after powerful quake
The earthquake killed at least 73 people and injured more than 900, according to Indonesia’s disaster authorities. Nearly 60,000 residents were also forced to leave their homes.
In addition, officials recorded more than 3,000 aftershocks following the main earthquake. Dozens were strong enough for residents to feel.
As a result, many families remained afraid to return to damaged buildings.
Emergency teams have continued delivering food, drinking water, medicine and other essential supplies. Authorities said hundreds of tonnes of aid had reached affected communities in the days after the disaster.
Indonesia experiences earthquakes frequently because it lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire. The region contains several active tectonic zones and is also home to many volcanoes.
For Pobi’s family, however, the disaster produced an outcome they had not expected. Finding her alive after three days beneath the wreckage has become one of the most remarkable survival stories to emerge from the earthquake.
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