Man found alive under Asia quake rubble

A man crying out weakly for water was found buried under the rubble of a shop today, more than four days after a devastating earthquake near Indonesia’s Nias Island, rescuers said.

“We know there is a voice. But we can’t confirm anything else at the moment,” said Singapore civil defence Capt. C.W. Ong, leading a team of rescuers frantically digging through the rubble.

The voice was heard under the wreckage of a shop in Gunung Sitoli, the capital of Nias, by family members who had been searching for the man since Monday night’s earthquake. The family alerted authorities.

“The man was saying: ’Help. Help. Give me water',” said Indonesian army marine officer Satria, who uses only one name.

The discovery was made a day after rescuers called off the search for survivors, saying the critical four-day period for anyone to have lived through the rubble that long had passed.

At least 458 people are confirmed to have died in the 8.7-magnitude earthquake on several islands off Sumatra. Most of the deaths occurred on Nias Island.