An elderly woman was successfully rescued from a collapsed building after being trapped under the rubble for 24 hours.
“She was found inside the building, in the area of the stairs, where we imagined she was,” Bari firefighter commander Rosa D’Eliseo said. “She was taking the stairs to get out. She evidently sensed the danger and was running away.”
Woman rescued from underneath collapsed building in Italy.Vigili del Fuoco/X
Vigili del Fuoco/X
The local fire and rescue agency, Vigili dl Fuoco, expressed gratitude for first responders' efforts, writing onX: “Extreme appreciation for the self-denial, perseverance, commitment and courage with which you have carried out the rescue operations with extraordinary success.” The message was written in Italian and translated to English.
The apartment building was declared structurally unsafe last year, according toWanted in Rome.Its 80 residents were evacuated shortly thereafter. However, the rescued woman reportedly remained in her residence. Renovations on the building had begun just one week before the collapse, the outlet reported.
Constructed in the 1950s with additions from the 1970s, the building was determined to have a structurally unsound central pillar — which the authorities believe to be the cause of the collapse, theAssociated Pressreported. The building crumbled in just a few seconds, perRAI News.
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RAI reported that two other families were residing on the first floor — though one was out of town at the time of the collapse and the other was able to escape at the first sign the building may fall.
source: people.com
