Fairfax County Rescue Team Helps Pull Teen from Rubble in Nepal

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Photos of rescue courtesy of Fairfax County Virginia Task Force 1

By MARY ANN BARTON

A rescue task force from Fairfax County assisted in the rescue Thursday of a boy, 15, from the earthquake rubble in Nepal.

A 7.8 earthquake struck the region Saturday; the quake killed at least 5,500, according to the latest reports.

The rescuers are keeping a blog about their efforts and posted photos and information about the rescue. Virginia Task Force 1 and a similar group from Los Angeles assisted with the rescue of the boy from the rubble of a building in Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital. Both teams and Nepali emergency services worked more than three hours to rescue the buried teenager, according to the post by the task force.

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The rescue in Nepal came about after a Los Angeles search canine team detected a live scent, according to a post on the Task Force 1 website. Using hand tools to begin, the rescuers from Fairfax County and Los Angeles began extrication operations.

After working for about three hours, the 15-year-old boy was safely removed from the collapsed structure. Medical staff from Fairfax County accompanied the patient in an ambulance to continue lifesaving procedures. Before removing the victim, contact was made with the Israel Field Hospital to ensure it was prepared to receive the patient.

The boy, Pemba Lama, told BBC he survived by drinking water from wet clothes.

Afterwards, both teams returned to search and rescue operations.

Established in 1986 as a domestic and international disaster response resource, sponsored by the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department, Virginia Task Force 1 is staffed by approximately 200 specially trained career and volunteer fire and rescue personnel, with expertise in the rescue of victims from collapsed structures following a natural or man-made catastrophic event.