Rescuers yesterday freed a six-year-old boy who clung to life for more than three days under tonnes of rubble following Taiwan's giant earthquake.
"He is okay. He only needs. . . drinking water," said one of the South Korean team which burrowed for hours to rescue Chang Chin-hung. The boy had been entombed for more than 80 hours.
Chang's rescue rekindled the spirits of teams digging around north and central Taiwan for more survivors among 311 people still listed as buried.
Chang was rushed to hospital and rescuers went back to work in this suburb of Taichung in central Taiwan, although there was no sign of further life in the area where the boy's family was also buried in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
Korean and Japanese experts used high-tech gear and low-tech brawn to pinpoint Chang, pinned in the wreckage of his home after the Tuesday quake struck, killing 2,146 people and injuring 8,139. Another 68 are still missing. Relief work was clouded by fresh frictions with China, seen by many in Taiwan as exploiting their misfortune in its unceasing bid to bring the island under its sovereignty.
Taiwan alleged yesterday that international efforts to respond to its devastating earthquake had been delayed by political meddling by Beijing. Experts from Hong Kong also seemed caught up in the dispute, saying they would return home after authorities declined to take them to rescue sites.