Two survivors pulled from rubble 5 days after Nepal quake

Two survivors pulled from rubble 5 days after Nepal quake

Two survivors were rescued in Nepal on Thursday, five days after the catastrophic earthquake that has now killed more than 5,500 people.Crowds cheered as teenager Pemba Tamang was freed from the remains of the structure in the capital of Kathmandu by Nepalese rescuers, supported by an American disaster response team, who worked for hours to save him, the Associated Press reported. A woman was rescued hours later.Police officer L.B. Basnet crawled into a gap in the rubble to reach a dust-covered Tamang, 15."He thanked me when I first approached him," Basnet told the AP. "He told me his name, his address, and I gave him some water. I assured him we were near to him."Rescuers used jacks to lift the concrete slabs that had trapped him, Basnet said, adding that Tamang "survived by good faith."Andrew Olvera, who heads the team from the U.S. Agency for International Development, told the news agency: "The whole operation is dangerous. But it's risk versus gain. To save a human life, we'll risk almost anything."

The Fairfax Search and Rescue team from Virginia was among those to help rescue Tamang.

"We worked with the local rescuers and rescued a 15-year-old," said Chris Schaff, a Virginia Task Force 1 member.

The team, a team from California and Nepali emergency services worked more than three hours to rescue the teen, according to Fairfax County officials.

Members say the teen's overturned motorcycle that was next to him saved the boy's life. It held up the concrete slabs, giving him room to survive.

Krishna Devi Khadka, believed to be in her 20s, was rescued from another location later Thursday, police said, according to the AP.

Meanwhile, the BBC reported that frustration is growing in some rural parts of the country over the speed of the relief efforts. The broadcaster said survivors had told its reporters of their anger that food and medicine has not reached them.

Thousands of people have left Katmandu to see their relatives in other areas — the government has provided a number of free bus services out of town.

Shankar Pradhananga, the national director of SOS Children's Villages in Nepal, told USA TODAY that rescue teams have been unable to reach some of remote areas where avalanches have blocked road access. "People who have survived are having a terrible time in their home villages because they have not been able to go to a safe place in a big number," he said.

He said the organization has opened six childcare spaces at camps where survivors have taken refuge.

On Wednesday, the United Nations launched a $415 million emergency appeal to provide critical aid to those affected by the disaster, which struck Saturday. At least 10,000 people have been injured and the quake and the powerful aftershocks that have followed have destroyed around 70,000 houses and damaged another 530,000, the organization said.