On Thursday, rescue workers and onlookers in Kathmandu, Nepal, got a rare piece of good news: Almost five days exactly after the magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Nepal, a teenage boy had been pulled from the rubble alive. The boy — Pema Lama, 15, according to Reuters; Pemba Tamang, 18, according to The Associated Press — had spent 144 hours trapped under the pancaked, water-logged ruins of the seven-story Kathmandu Hilton, saved by luck and his motorcycle.
"He thanked me when I first approached him," police officer L.B. Basnet told AP, noting that the boy was surprisingly sharp when he crawled down toward him. "He told me his name, his address, and I gave him some water. I assured him we were near to him." When the Nepalese, French, and American rescue workers pulled the teenager out on a stretcher, a large crowd cheered. But officials say the chance of finding other survivors is slim. BBC News has this report on the dramatic, improbable rescue:
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
TV to watch in March, including 'The Studio' and 'Paul American'the week recommends A true crime story adaptation, a reality show about the ultra-American Paul brothers and a new late night series from John Mulaney
-
Is America heading toward competitive authoritarianism?Today's Big Question Some experts argue that the country's current democratic system is fading
-
'Detention centers have, for decades, been an abuse of administrative power'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wifespeed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
-
Giant schnauzer wins top prize at Westminster showSpeed Read Monty won best in show at the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show
-
Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar take top GrammysSpeed Read Beyoncé took home album of the year for 'Cowboy Carter' and Kendrick Lamar's diss track 'Not Like Us' won five awards
-
The Louvre is giving 'Mona Lisa' her own roomSpeed Read The world's most-visited art museum is getting a major renovation
-
Honda and Nissan in merger talksSpeed Read The companies are currently Japan's second and third-biggest automakers, respectively
-
Taylor Swift wraps up record-shattering Eras tourSpeed Read The pop star finally ended her long-running tour in Vancouver, Canada
-
Drake claims illegal boosting, defamationSpeed Read The rapper accused Universal Music of boosting Kendrick Lamar's diss track and said UMG allowed him to be falsely accused of pedophilia
-
'Wicked' and 'Gladiator II' ignite holiday box officeSpeed Read The combination of the two movies revitalized a struggling box office
