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Haiti quake rescuers pull out man from rubble after 11 days

23 January 2010 23:56 (UTC +04:00)

Baku. Ziya Agazade â€“ APA. A Haitian man has been pulled alive from the rubble of a ruined hotel after 11 days, as the official search for quake survivors was declared over.
The 23-year-old man was carried on a stretcher from the Napoli Inn Hotel in the capital, Port-au-Prince, APA reports citing BBC.

Haitians and rescuers cheered as the man, seen to be smiling, was taken towards a waiting ambulance, the BBC’s Adam Mynott reports from the scene. Earlier, Haiti’s government said search-and-rescue operations had ended.

UN spokeswoman Elizabeth Byrs in Geneva said the decision was "heartbreaking" but that it had been taken on the advice of experts.

She said most search-and-rescue teams would now be leaving Haiti, although some with heavy lifting equipment might stay to help with the clean-up operation and with aid distribution. Rescuers said the man found on Saturday appeared to be in good condition, but thirsty.

The BBC’s Adam Mynott says the operation to extricate him lasted about two-and-a-half hours.

The man, whose first name is Richmond, smiled as he was pulled free but did not speak, our correspondent says.

A French rescue expert said rescuers had managed to get water to the man, who had been trapped beneath 5-6m (16-20ft) of rubble.