Dhaka building collapse: Woman pulled alive from rubble

The BBC's Akbar Hossain: "People here are extremely surprised." Photo courtesy Shariful Islam

It's being widely reported that a woman has been pulled alive from the ruins of an eight-storey building that collapsed in a suburb of Bangladesh's capital, Dhaka, 17 days ago.  Yet what's even more remarkable, is how is it possible she lay hidden and unheard for all this period of time in the worlds worst building collapse, in which it's claimed in excess of a 1000 people, mainly women, died as a result of the buildings collapse, the building floors almost pancaked on top of each other; - creating plumes of dust and mountains of broken bricks, cement and twisted wire lay strewn all over the place, - yet this girl, not only survived for 17 days and with little or no water at all, her "Purple" dresswear and attire remained in pristine condition. 

It begs the question; "How is this possible?" - It's surely more miraculous that her clothing, face and hair survived so well? 

Let's not forget, this buildings collapse has created a lot of anger in the local community, people will be prosecuted and jailed, if not executed.  Over a thousand innocent exploited workers have been killed due to corporate greed.  The buildings owner, who tried to flee the country, but was later on captured, knew how dangerous the building was.  Companies in the West seemed to not really care about the conditions where their garments and clothing are made, so it could be argued they too have blood on their hands, for had they cared, then surely they would have seen what an overcrowded sweatshop the place was in the first place.  Chickens are kept in bigger coops. 

Did someone; - as we've seen this type of pattern of a "Feel Good" story emerge following such a no hope type of disaster as this one, - did "someone" devise a plan and decided to plant the young girl down inside the rubble? 

It could easliy be achieved during the night and when perhaps rescue teams were on a break and away from a specific area.  This would permit someone, such as a young girl, to then be able to hide themsleves amoung the rubble, and until the following day and when they could then call out for help. 

And if this is the case, then of course it's worked, it's worldwide news, and it gives "hope" to everyone; that even in the worst type of tragedies; a "miracle" can still take place! - NOT!!

What to you think?  No dust in her hair or on her face, and with her clothing remaining as if she had not long dressed herself and not of someone who had laid underneath tons of cement and dust in general and for 17 days at that; 'how can this possibly occur?    

In hospital she is fine, and when you can see her wince and show signs of discomfort or pain, is when the two nurses standing in front of her and the cameras, are putting needles into the backs of her hands so as they can place Saline drips into them.

Rescuers said the woman, named Reshma, was found in the remains of the second floor of the Rana Plaza after they heard her crying: "Please save me." She has been taken to hospital, but is not thought to have serious injuries.

More than 1,000 are now confirmed to have died, most of them women working in clothes factories.

The authorities said 2,437 people had been rescued, of whom about 1,000 had suffered serious injuries.

Reshma: "I kept banging whatever I could with my legs but no-one could hear me"

Dozens lost limbs as they were cut free from the wreckage.

The accident is one of the deadliest industrial disasters in history.

Crews using heavy machinery have begun removing rubble from the worst-damaged areas, and are expecting to find more bodies.

Brig-Gen Siddiqul Alam said rescuers had found a huge number of bodies under staircases.

"When the building started to collapse, workers thought they would be safe under the staircases. Each time we moved a slab of concrete, we found a stack of bodies," he said.

'I'm still here'

Soldiers were reported to have been preparing to break through a large concrete slab at about 15:15 local time (10:15 GMT) on Friday when the woman was discovered.

The worker who first discovered her told the BBC Bengali service: "I was cutting iron rods when I suddenly found a silvery stick just moving from a hole.

"I looked closer and heard someone calling 'Please save me'. I immediately called over soldiers and firefighters."

Officers ordered workers operating heavy machinery to stop, and rescuers used video and audio detection equipment to locate her exact position.

Crews saw a woman waving her hand, and she shouted "I'm still here" and told rescuers her name was Reshma.

Within minutes, hundreds of soldiers and firefighters rushed to the scene to help clear the rubble, says the BBC's Akbar Hossain in Dhaka.

The woman said that she was not badly hurt, and she was given water and biscuits while handsaws and drilling equipment were brought in to cut through iron rods and debris.

Rescuers worked for 40 minutes before finally pulling her from the rubble, amid cheers from the crowd.

She was taken to an ambulance and then rushed to the nearby Combined Military Hospital for evaluation and treatment.

She later told local TV from her hospital bed that she never dreamt she would see daylight again.

"I heard voices of the rescue workers for several days. I kept hitting the wreckage with sticks and rods to attract their attention. No-one heard me," she said.

"I ate dried food for 15 days. The last two days I had nothing but water."

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, whose government has been criticised for lax oversight of the clothing industry, spoke to the woman on the telephone.

Ms Hasina was reportedly flying to the hospital by helicopter to meet her.

Rana Plaza had housed several factories that made clothes for companies including Western retailers.

A preliminary government report suggested the collapse was been triggered when electricity generators switched on during a blackout.

At least nine people have been arrested over the accident, including the owner of the building and several factory bosses.