After an earthquake, rescue workers search for people who may be alive under the rubble of dilapidated buildings. How long can a person survive under the rubble after an earthquake?
Survival in the rubble depends on several factors, including:
Access to water
Although it is difficult to say how long people can go without drinking water, some estimates put the average range between 3 and 7 days.
Much depends on the temperature of the encircled area, which determines the amount of fluid lost through sweating, and on the fitness level of the individual.
Evans Monsignac, the man who said he survived after nearly four weeks in the rubble after the Haiti earthquake in January 2010, said he had been drinking sewage water.
access to air
This depends on the spot in which the person is trapped, whether it has an air passage or is closed, as being trapped in a closed place means a rise in temperature and an increase in carbon dioxide, which if it reaches a very high level may lead to suffocation.
Presence of injuries
Has the person been injured?
Is it bleeding?
If he is bleeding, this reduces his chance of survival, and he must be found quickly.
If a person is stuck under heavy debris, the rubble may cause problems or hurt muscles and may cause bleeding and fracture, and this reduces the chances of survival.
Is the presence of food an influencing factor in the chances of survival under the rubble?
“Food is not a big deal, people can go weeks without it,” Dr. Richard Moon, a survival expert at Duke University, told the Associated Press. However, most people can only survive a few days. without water.”
How long a person can live on water alone depends on a variety of factors, such as a person's metabolism, the amount of excess fat a person stores in their body, and temperature.
With the passage of time, the person's organs will start to stop working one by one until the body is unable to function properly, but a healthy person can live without food for up to 8 weeks.
How long can a person survive under the rubble after an earthquake?
Generally speaking, experts say that an individual can survive under the rubble for a week at most under the most favorable conditions.
What do you do if you are stuck under rubble?
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says if you're trapped, draw attention to yourself by sending a text, banging on a wall or pipe, or using a whistle to help rescuers find you.
Also you should protect your mouth, nose and eyes from dust.
Cases of people rescued after more than a week under the rubble
In May 2013, a woman was pulled out of the rubble of a factory in Bangladesh, 17 days after it collapsed. Workers heard her screaming, "Please save me," and used video and audio detectors to determine her exact location, according to the BBC.
After the Haiti earthquake in January 2010, a man survived who spent 12 days under the rubble of a shop.
Also, after the Haiti earthquake in January 2010, another man was found alive 27 days after the earthquake.