They were already called “miracle rescues,” when people were being pulled alive from beneath the ruins in Haiti on day six, and on day seven when at least seven people trapped beneath the ruins were rescued as hopes to find any more survivors were fading.
Most search and rescue experts said then that chances to find any more living beneath the rubble were rather small.
But the miracles kept coming. On day eight more “miracle rescues,” including those of two small children.
Aid groups said that it was very unlikely that many more people would be found alive in the debris.
Officials were getting ready to shift their efforts from search and rescue to recovery and securing the delivery of aid.
I am not aware of additional rescues on day nine, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there were.
Today, on day 10 since the earthquake struck on January 12, there were two more miracle rescues.
According to the Stars and Stripes:
An Israeli search team pulled a 22-year-old man from a crevasse in the rubble of what had been a three-story home, according to an Israeli Defense Forces statement and video of the rescue obtained by The Associated Press. He was reported in stable condition at an Israeli field hospital in Port-au-Prince.
And earlier today, relatives claim that they pulled an 84-year-old woman from her collapsed home. NBC just reported that the woman, albeit sick and in bad condition, was still alive.
These two rescues came after most international search and rescue teams have begun “packing up their gear.”
Tomorrow, on day 11 after the earthquake struck, “the great grief of this devoutly religious nation will focus on one of its tens of thousands of dead, in an 8 a.m. funeral for Msgr. Joseph Serge Miot, archbishop of Port-au-Prince, near the ruins of his cathedral.”
Who knows, there will be more miracles tomorrow. The suffering people of Haiti more than deserve them.
UPDATE:
Today, on day 11, after the Haiti government officially halted search and rescue operations, another “rescue miracle.”
ABC news has just announced that late today, an American team found and rescued alive from beneath the rubble in Port-au-Prince a 24-year-old man. The man told rescuers that he believes that four others are still alive beneath the ruins.
In Haiti, hope is still alive.
UPDATE II:
Another person, a man in his early 30s, was pulled alive from the rubble of a building in the center of Port-au-Prince on Tuesday by the US military, three days after the Haitian government officially called an end to search and rescue efforts.
Although he was buried during an aftershock, the man is believed to be the longest surviving victim so far.
UPDATE III:
CNN reports that French rescuers, on Wednesday, January 27, pulled a 16-year old girl from the rubble in Port-au-Prince. The girl, who was found dehydrated, weak and with low blood pressure, is believed to have been buried since the earthquake struck 15 days ago.
“After a 45-minute effort to extract her from the debris, the girl was transported in a helicopter to the French medical ship Sirocco,” according to CNN.
The author is a retired U.S. Air Force officer and a writer.