Entombed by the Haitian earthquake: The coffin-like space beneath the rubble where survivor was buried for 11 days
25th January 2010 

He could barely move, crushed into a tomb-like space beneath the rubble of the Haitian earthquake. For 11 days, 24-year-old Wismond Exantus existed in a nightmare. Buried alive, he survived on beer, biscuits and Coke, and banged desperately on the broken walls that weighed down on him to get someone's attention. He did not know if anyone would ever hear. He prayed, recited psalms, and slept. On Sunday - hours after authorities called off the search for survivors in Haiti - a journalist heard Wismond's pleas for help. Rescuers including Carmen Michalska from Britain, rushed in to action - and with Wismond's help managed to pull the shocked man from the rubble. He was weak from hunger - but he was alive. Ms Michalska, who is 5ft 5in, was small enough to squeeze down a tiny hole to reach Wismond.  Moments after she emerged from the wreckage she described her amazement at being able to save somebody's life. 'When we got here we started pulling away the rubble with our hands and tools we found in the street,' the 36-year-old from Sheffield told the Daily Telegraph. 'People were saying "There's someone alive down there" and we were saying "Are you sure? Are you sure?" 'We got communication from him and then, when the heavy equipment turned up, they made a gap but it wasn't very wide.'

 

Ms Michalska, who works in security, said it was a 'tight squeeze and rather smelly and claustrophobic' as she crawled through the rubble. 'When we got down to the bottom I could see his head behind a piece of wood. He smiled and was so happy to see us. He held our light for us while we sawed the wood in front of him away. I couldn't talk to him because I don't speak French but he said "Merci".' Onlookers cheered as Ms Michalska and a fellow rescuer from France pulled Wismond free. Speaking from his cot in a French field hospital Wismond said the first thing he wanted to do was find a church to give thanks.

 

Wismond still had beer and biscuits in his pockets when he was discovered. His family said they heard tapping from the ruins for several days but could not persuade the authorities to go to the scene. The shop clerk was only saved after a Greek journalist heard the faint taps and alerted rescue workers. Wismond may be the last of the survivors to be pulled from the rubble. Haiti's government now estimates 150,000 bodies have been collected and buried in Port-au-Prince alone since the massive earthquake struck nearly two weeks ago. With thousands still unaccounted for, the final death toll is expected to be more than 200,000. That doesn't count those still under the debris, carried off by relatives or killed in the outlying quake zone. Although Wismond is the third person to be found alive in the past two days, officials say they have given up hope of finding anyone else alive. However, with his escape prompting fears that there are others still slowly dying beneath the rubble, many rescue crews are ignoring the decision. Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Renou, who found Wismond, said: 'Life doesn't stop when the government says stop. There is still hope, but it is going to take some luck and God's help.'  Most of the victims have now been buried anonymously in mass graves on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince or burned in the streets. British firemen returning home over the weekend paid tribute to the bravery of the Haitian people. Among the four they rescued was a two-year-old girl called Mia. Arriving back at Manchester Airport, operations commander Pete Stevenson, 48, said: 'They were so glad to see the rescuers. The people were crying when we left.  'We plan to keep in touch with Mia. She was in fine health. It was a humbling experience.'