Hong Kong rescue team pulls survivor from rubble of Myanmar earthquake
Man, 52, rescued from hotel in Mandalay by Hong Kong rescue team, in collaboration with mainland Chinese counterparts
A Hong Kong rescue team, alongside mainland counterparts, found a survivor in the rubble of a Mandalay hotel in Myanmar on Wednesday.
Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung said that a 52-year-old man was rescued from a hotel on 65th Street in Mandalay by the team, in collaboration with the rescue force from mainland China.
“I am happy, moved and proud to hear the news, and I sincerely thank every member of the national team and the SAR rescue team for their hard work,” Tang wrote in a social media post.
The Hong Kong rescue team continued to search overnight for several days even though the “golden time” for rescuing people had passed, he added.
The first 72 hours after an earthquake are typically regarded as the “golden window” for finding victims buried alive under rubble. The chances of survival without a water source decline rapidly after this period.
Cheu Yu-kok, the commander of the city’s search and rescue team, called the latest development “very encouraging”.