Sister of woman found alive in collapsed building in Bangladesh: “It’s a miracle. God saved her.”

Rescue workers are still finding bodies and the death toll has topped 1,000.
Rescue workers are still finding bodies and the death toll has topped 1,000.
Image: AP Photo/Ismail Ferdous
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A woman has been found alive amid the debris of a building in Bangladesh 17 days after it collapsed. The family had been waiting for a dead body and was elated to be informed the woman, named Reshma, was actually alive.

“It’s a miracle. God saved her,” said her sister, Asma.

On April 24, Reshma took shelter inside the shops located on the ground floor of the building—and waited. Today, around 3:15 p.m. in Bangladesh, a worker was cleaning an area before going in with heavier equipment. He saw a hole and peered through and asked if anyone was inside. Reshma responded.

She was rescued by 4:30 p.m. and taken to the hospital.

Her discovery comes amid the discovery of 20 bodies on Friday that bring the death toll from the collapse of Rana Plaza, an eight-story building that housed mostly garment factories on the outskirts of Dhaka, to 1,033.

Workers say they will now clear the remaining rubble manually.