Swiss dogs trace two people beneath rubble of highrise

Swiss dogs trace two people beneath rubble of highrise
SHEFALI NAUTIYAL

AHMEDABAD, JAN 28: From beneath the debris of a building, emerged hope for the thousands traumatised by Friday's killer quake. It was nothing short of a miracle -- 13-year-old Vicky Raval and 28-year-old Mona Sanghvi, who were buried for almost two days under the rubble that Manasi Complex was reduced to, came out alive.

Hours after rescue operations began at the site, the two -- who were trapped with a decomposing body -- were brought out by a Swiss team at 2 am. Hawk, a labrador, and Barry, a German Shepard, confirmed life beneath the rubble. The Swiss team immediately got down to work, cutting through the slab and pulling out the survivors. Astonishingly, neither Vicky nor Mona had suffered any serious injuries. However, both have lost family members in the building collapse.

Vicky, who studies in Mount Abu, had come home for vacations when the disaster occured. Vicky, his mother, sibling, and grandmother had tried running down when the tremors began, but were trapped when the building collapsed like a pack of cards. Mona Sanghvi and her parents, living on the ninth floor, also died when the ceiling caved in.

As workers searched through the debris, there seemed little hope of anyone surviving. Vicky and Mona, fortunately, were trapped in such a condition that there was space above. However, they had no space to crawl out. Trapped with a body, the two patiently waited for help to come.

``In fact, Vicky was braver and kept telling Mona not to lose hope and that they would survive,'' said a neighbour, who met the survivors when they came out. ``Though Mona was shaken, Vicky just asked for water and biscuits and seemed quite normal,'' he added.

``The body had started decomposing and when we pulled these two out, the entire place was stinking,'' informed a volunteer of Civil Defence, a voluntary action group controlled by the Centre.

The immense agility and brillance of the dogs and the team has won accolades. ``The team came and surveyed the area. They then sent the first dog to the debris where he sniffed his way to where Vicky and Mona were and began barking and wagging his tail. This was an indication that there are people. The team then sent the other dog, who also did the same, confirming that there was life beneath the rubble. The boy and woman were then brought out,'' said an eyewitness.

The survivors were rushed to VS Hospital where Vicky was admitted to ward 11. Mona was given first aid and discharged.

A few hours later, after the shock subsided, the enormity started sinking in. ``Both patients' condition is bad as they know their parents have died. Vicky comes from an already disturbed background and has suffered severe mental trauma. He told us his mother had died on the spot and we took out his brother's body in the morning. Mona's father has died and her mother is still inside,'' the building administrator informed.