Miracle rescue brings hope of survivors as Haiti woman pulled from wreckage after a week

12 April 2012

A woman has been rescued after spending a week buried under a collapsed cathedral in quake-hit Haiti, giving aid workers renewed hope today that more people can be saved.

Dust-covered Anna Zizi was singing as she was pulled free yesterday by Mexican firefighters from the wreckage of the main Roman Catholic Cathedral in capital Port-au-Prince, according to charity Christian Aid.

The charity's Sarah Wilson, who watched the rescue, said: "It was an amazing thing to witness, no-one could believe she was still alive.

"She was singing when she emerged. Everyone clapped and cheered."

Zizi, thought to be in her 70s, was put on a drip and taken to hospital on the back of a truck.

Her son, Maxime Janvier, told broadcaster CNN that he never gave up hope that she would be found.

"We were praying a lot for that to happen," he said.

In the wake of the rescue, British disaster response group Rapid UK said its staff had no plans to stand down its efforts in Haiti.

But it came as another British aid organisation warned that getting help to the hungry and homeless in the Caribbean state was still a "nightmare" seven days on from the devastating tremor.

Aid efforts are being hampered by quake damage, fuel shortages and "deteriorating" security on the streets, Plan International said.

Spokesman Alistair Clay said getting aid to Port-au-Prince was still an "utter nightmare" but it was hoped today would be a "turning point" and "things are going to start to flow".

He added that fuel shortages were also a problem for aid agencies trying to deliver water, food and emergency supplies.

The charity has thousands of mobile water tanks to deliver, but Mr Clay said: "We are really limited in how far we can drive at the moment because we haven't got enough fuel."

Official estimates have put the distater's death toll at 200,000, with more than 1.5 million left homeless.

US military officials yesterday sent in 800 extra marines to the country, swelling troop numbers to as many as 11,000.

The United Nations Security Council also approved 3,500 extra soldiers and police officers to beef up security so that aid trucks could get through.

Troops have been forced to drop water bottles from the air after swarms of desperate people prevented helicopters from landing.
In the UK, the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) has so far collected £25 million in public donations.
The appeal has helped Christian Aid to set up tent hospitals and buy food from local farmers to distribute to those in need.

The cash also allowed the Red Cross to distribute 700 tents and almost 7,000 tarpaulins yesterday and two of the charity's mobile health clinics are working in some of the worst affected areas outside Port-au-Prince.

Donations have also helped ActionAid distribute medicine and water purification tablets and to provide 2,000 people in Port-au-Prince with emergency food supplies.

DEC chief executive Brendan Gormley said: "We have been staggered by the generosity of the UK public.

"As the full scale of the tragedy continues to unfold we rely on the generosity of donors."

The UK government is giving more than £20 million in aid.

United Nations worker Frederick Wooldridge, 41, from Kent, was the first Briton confirmed dead.

Another British UN worker - Ann Barnes, 59, originally from Leigh-on-Sea, Essex - is still missing.

European Council president Herman van Rompuy yesterday floated the idea of establishing an EU humanitarian rapid reaction force to respond to tragedies.

Haiti will be on the agenda at a special meeting of EU heads of government which the new European Council president has called for February 11.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown also said the coming days would present a "test" of whether the official organisations of the international community could live up to the compassion shown to Haiti by ordinary people around the world.

Speaking to reporters later, Mr Brown's spokesman said the Prime Minister had an "open mind" on the question of an EU rapid reaction force.

During a telephone conversation last night Mr Brown and US president Barack Obama agreed that strong co-ordination of international assistance would be vital going forward, the Prime Minister's spokesman said.

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