A World Vision tsunami relief team has told how a small boy who was buried by a massive landslide triggered by the Solomon Islands earthquake was pulled out alive.
The team heard how people from the village of Mondo on the island of Ranangga were standing on the beach when they saw a massive landslide from the cliffs above that wiped out half their village. The boy was missing for up to three hours. Then one of the villagers saw two feet sticking out of the mountain of rubble and rushed forward to help.
After frantically digging the villagers finally pulled a small boy free.
"He was gasping for air but it was clear he was alive. Just to see him now and speak with him is amazing. He is showing signs of being traumatised by appears to have survived without any serious injuries," Steve Harries, World Vision country manager who was part of the relief team said.
The island of Ranangga has captured world headlines after the quake 'popped out' several metres from the earth's crust, exposing a ring of coral around the island.
Ranangga was not affected by the April 2 tsunami that smashed into other islands in the western province wiping out entire villages and washing many people out to sea. The official death toll from the tsunami remains at 39 but it is expected this toll will rise as more information comes in. There were some 7,000 homes destroyed by the tsunami.
"Even though Ranangga was not impacted by the tsunami people are very afraid by their coral rising out of the water, they think the sea as receded and they are fearful it will return as a tsunami," Mr Harries said.
The international aid effort for the Solomons is getting into full swing now with aid flowing into the capital of the western province Gizo. More World Vision supplies arrived in Gizo this morning in the form of family emergency kits which include pots, cooking utensils, soap and mosquito nets. There were also a delivery of fuel and boats to enable the World Vision team to distribute the supplies.
There are some 300 islands in the western province and traditionally the best way to travel was by boat. The tsunami destroyed most of the boats in the province and has wrecked the few roads in the area.
When the wave hit the islands, people fled to higher ground where they have now set up makeshift camps. World Vision has been working in nine of these camps to put in place basic sanitation facilities to curb the spread of diseases.
The aid agency is now establishing a presence on the islands of Ranangga and Simbo to provide aid and supplies to these people. While aid is flowing into Gizo the big challenge remains getting these supplies out to the more remote islands.
ENDS
For more information, footage, pictures or interviews please contact Andrea Russell (India) +91 99892 38223 [cell] or E-mail: andrea_russell@wvi.org
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
