Over the weekend, an 80 year old woman and her 16 year old grandson were saved from the rubble of a house in Ishinomaki city that had been demolished in the Japanese earthquake 9 days before.
They were in their kitchen when the quake struck, and survived by eating yoghurt and other food from the fridge. The grandson managed to reach the roof of the house, where he was able to flag down a rescue helicopter. They are now being treated in hospital.
The official death toll from the earthquake and tsunami has risen to more than 9,000, and more than 12,500 are still missing. For other stories of remarkable escapes, see my blogs of July 4, 2009 and Aug 24, 2010.
*Just discovered a new review of A Disastrous History of the World in the Sandwell &Great Barr Chronicle of January 27.