28 Jan 2010

Man pulled from rubble two weeks after Haiti quake

7:08 am on 28 January 2010

A man has been pulled alive from rubble in Port-au-Prince two weeks after a powerful quake killed an estimated 200,000 people and devastated parts of Haiti.

Officials say the man survived the 7.0-magnitude quake on 12 January but became trapped two days later.

American troops rescued the man from the ruins of a building in the centre of the capital and he has been taken to hospital, the BBC reports.

The man, in his early 30s, has a broken leg and is suffering from severe dehydration.

On Saturday, Haiti's government declared the search and rescue phase for survivors over.

It is estimated more than 130 people have been pulled alive by rescue teams in Port-au-Prince since the quake. Many more have been rescued by locals, often with their bare hands.

Meanwhile, government officials have begun to distribute aid directly to quake survivors.

Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive say they can no longer wait no longer for international aid organisations to get organised.

The World Food Programme reported this week it has delivered meals to about 400,000 people - far below the organisation's estimate of 2 million people in need.