Nepal Earthquake: Teen Rescued After 5 Days Trapped in Rubble
— -- U.S. search-and-rescue teams helped pull a teenager from the rubble in Nepal today, more than five days after the country suffered a devastating earthquake.
Crowds cheered as the teen was pulled to safety.
Crews initially didn’t think anyone was still alive inside the collapsed seven-story Kathmandu building, but they heard the teen’s voice and started digging.
The teen was carried out on a stretcher, his face covered in dust. Medics had put an IV drip into his arm and a blue brace had been placed around his neck. He appeared stunned, and his eyes blinked in the sunlight.
A team of Los Angeles County Fire Department and Fairfax County (Virginia) Fire and Rescue Department members had been helping the Nepalese, according to a Los Angeles County Fire Department representative, and a search dog with the USAID Disaster Assistance Response Team found the teen.
"The whole operation is dangerous," said Andrew Olvera, who is heading the USAID disaster team. "But it's risk versus gain. To save a human life, we'll risk almost anything."
Images have also emerged showing a 4-month-old baby being pulled from the rubble Sunday, a sign of hope in the devastated region.
In addition to the teen, three Americans who were trekking in the Langtang region after the earthquake and ensuing avalanche were rescued by U.S. Special Operations forces in a helicopter and brought to the capital.
More than 5,000 deaths and more than 10,900 injuries have been blamed on the disaster, according to Nepal’s National Emergency Operation Center. Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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