In the wake of a powerful earthquake which rocked the Kyushu region of Japan on Thursday, rescuers are frantically searching for survivors still trapped in rubble. The search and rescue mission has been especially challenging due to hundreds of aftershocks which have made the environment dangerous and unstable.
The rescue mission is working quickly to locate survivors as the traditional “golden period” of 72 hours for rescuing those in collapsed structures is quickly slipping away. Fire service officials have deployed more than 11,000 rescuers as well as K-9 units throughout the region in the hopes of finding anyone still alive in the rubble.
Fortunately, some survivors have managed to be found alive in the rubble. Two survivors in particular, a man in his 50s and an 18-month-old girl, were pulled alive from the ruins of an apartment building that had crumbled during the quake.
Closing the “golden period,” rescue teams will continue their search for survivors. But the mission is becoming more and more difficult as each day passes. The team of rescuers must also take extreme caution when working, as the aftershocks could cause more rubble or injured survivors to be uncovered at any time.
