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news
worldnews
asia
japan
8384088
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# Japan earthquake: survivors lift rescuers' spirit against all odds
## Amid the death and destruction along Japan's east coast there were rare
moments of hope for rescuers combing through the rubble and matchwood wreckage
for survivors from the country's earthquake.
![Fujiko Chiba is rescued after five days: Japan earthquake: survivors lift
rescuers' spirit against all odds][1]
Image 1 of 2
Fujiko Chiba, who was stranded in an isolated evacuation center for five days,
is rescued by Japan Ground Self-Defense Force members in Ishinomaki Photo: AP
![A baby survivor: Japan earthquake: survivors lift rescuers' spirit against
all odds][2]
Image 1 of 2
A baby survivor is fed milk by a member of Japanese RC's National Disaster
Response Team at the Ishinomaki Red Cross Hospital Photo: RED CROSS/AP
By [Martin Evans][3], and Andrew Hough 6:30AM GMT 16 Mar 2011
Five days after the devastating earthquake and tsunami struck, rescue workers
pulled one 70-year-old woman from the remains of her toppled home.
When the earthquake struck last Friday, Sai Abe, had refused to leave her
house in the port city of Otsuchi.
The building withstood the initial tremor, but was completely destroyed an
hour later when the 30ft tsunami swept through her neighbourhood.
When rescuers found her she was suffering from hypothermia due to the freezing
temperatures throughout the region, but was otherwise unharmed.
Her son, Hiromi Abe, said he was overjoyed, but he was still desperately
trying to find his father.
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Elsewhere a man in his 20s was pulled from the wreckage of his home further
down the coast in the city of Ishimaki. Rescue workers heard him calling out
for help and managed to locate him using specially trained sniffer dogs. He
was not badly injured, but was also suffering from the effects of cold and
hunger.
Another elderly woman was pulled from a car wedged among wrecked buildings. A
search team spotted her through the car's unbroken windscreen when she moved.
She too was being treated for hypothermia in hospital.
The weather in the region has deteriorated, making the conditions for those
still trapped even more difficult. And forecasters have predicted snow in
coming days. On Monday a four-month-old baby was found alive in the remains of
her home giving rescuers a boost.
But as the search for survivors entered its sixth day, hope of finding anyone
else alive in the wrecked towns and villages along the coast diminished. The
British search and rescue team spent the day in the devastated town of
Ofunato.
The team worked alongside American colleagues to clear a large industrial
district and residential area of debris as they searched for any signs of
life.
While a large number of bodies were found, no survivors were located in the
area. Despite the lack of success so far the searches were due to resume on
Wednesday.
Andrew Mitchell, the International Development Secretary, said: "We are all
proud of the UK's search and rescue experts, who are doing a great job under
tough conditions.
"They are working alongside Japanese colleagues to give much-needed help and
support to that country in its time of dire need."
Thousands of survivors were reported to have taken refuge at places difficult
to locate, including 1,300 found stranded on the island of Oshima, Miyagi
prefecture.
But rescuers have encountered only eerie silence in most towns as they search
through the flattened streets.
Japanese soldiers drafted in to conducted door-to-door searches reported
finding many elderly victims who were unable to escape in time.
The government was rushing doctors and aid supplies to thousands of people
left without food, water and shelter.
Despite their dire situation, survivors, particularly women and children, have
been overwhelmed by the extraordinary generosity of complete strangers who
have given up their own limited supplies of food and water.
Nursing home staff, some of whom remain homeless, have also overcome their own
hardship to continue caring for elderly residents with severe dementia.
In the pitch black of night, workers fed residents by torchlight and laid out
mats on the hard floor so the patients could sleep.
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/8384088/Japan-earthquake-
survivors-lift-rescuers-spirit-amid-renewed-hope.html
Telegraph
## [Japan][15]
* ### [News »][16]
* ### [World News »][17]
* ### [Major News »][18]
* ### [UK News »][19]
* ### [Andrew Hough »][20]
In news
[![Video shot by an underwater robot shows the damage inside a spent fuel pool
at the Fukushima nuclear power station.][21] ][22]
### [Underwater robot films Fukushima pool][22]
[![Officials in protective gear stand in the evacuation area near the
Fukushima nuclear plant][23]][24]
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[![][25] ][26]
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[![Japan earthquake and tsunami: photographer survives after being swept
away][27] ][28]
### [Swept away by the waves][28]
[![Japan earthquake and tsunami one month on: 30 powerful images of the
disaster][29] ][30]
### [Japan one month on][30]
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![][31]
## [JAPAN LATEST NEWS »][15]
[Japan Earthquake: Live ][32]
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