Post date: Mar 20, 2011 3:21:46 PM
A relative of two Japanese quake survivors, who were rescued after nine days under the rubble, says he never gave up hope of finding his loved-ones alive.
ISHINOMAKI, MIYAGI PREFECTURE, JAPAN (MARCH 20, 2011) REUTERS - A relative of two Japanese quake survivors, who were rescued on Sunday (March 20) after nine days under the rubble, said he never gave up hope that his mother and son would be found alive.
Eighty-year-old Sumi and 16-year-old Jin were rescued from their destroyed home in the city of Ishinomaki, more than a week after northeast Japan was devastated by a massive earthquake and tsunami, NHK public TV reported.The report quoted police in Miyagi prefecture as saying the two were weak but conscious.
In a news conference on Sunday evening, Akira Abe, the son of Sumi and father of Jin said, "No I didn't," when asked if he had ever given up hope.
"I believed in my son's power of life," Akira said.
He said he also held out the same hope for his elderly mother, who was pulled from the rubble with just a few scratches on her body.
"I believed that she would also make it," Akira said.
He said the miracle rescue of his mother and son could happen to anyone.
"Don't give up. Never give up," Akira said in a message to those who were still looking for missing family members.
Officials said Akira's son and mother had been trapped in their kitchen after the massive earthquake and survived by eating food from the refrigerator.
"The cupboard and the refrigerator fell to the ground and made a small narrow space for them. And, since there was a refrigerator, the son was able to find food and drink while being in this space," the deputy director of a Red Cross emergency centre said.
An NHK report said the son eventually made it to the roof of the house and waved down a rescue helicopter.
The teenager, Jin Abe, had a low body temperature, was shaking and had no feeling in his left ankle, the report said.