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GEORGE NEWS AND VIDEO - The first responders in this morning's rescue of miracle patient Gabriël Guambe spoke to the media tonight to relate their elation and wonder at their find.
Garden Route disaster management chief Gerhard Otto said they are true heroes.
They helped to free Guambe from under the rubble.
Paulus Veldkornet, an advanced medical rescue technician, relates how they first made contact with Guambe.
Another EMS rescue technician, Jethru Jacobs, said they had to search a number of voids identified and he searched the specific void where Guambe was found. He was the first to make contact with the patient. It was an indescribable feeling.
Guambe is in a stable condition in hospital and has been in communication with his family, according to a statement issued earlier tonight by the Garden Route Joint District Operations Centre (JOC) / George Municipality.
From his hospital bed he encouraged rescue workers to continue their dedication and hard work during the challenging task of searching for those still unaccounted for.
He has sustained only minor injuries and is doing extremely well, especially considering he went 118 hours without food or water, reads the statement. He recently had his first meal and is in good spirits.
Rescue operation to take week to complete
Authorities say because of the magnitude of the rescue operation, it will likely take more than a week to complete.
In ongoing efforts to assist survivors and their families, the JOC urgently calls for professional psychosocial support practitioners proficient in Chewa, Portuguese, and Shona languages. Interested practitioners can contact Kholiswa Jobela at 078 210 5972 or Apolus Swart at 061 504 4205.
VIDEO: Miracle Rescue: First Responders Elicit Elation and Wonder After Saving Gabriël Guambe from Rubble (Video: Alida De Beer).
SUPPLIED VIDEO: The 32-year-old Mr. Gabriel Gumba, a survivor who was trapped under the rubble, wants to express his gratitude to all the rescue personnel for their relentless efforts. (Video: George Municipality).
The first responders in the rescue were, from the left, Jethru Jacobs, EMS rescue technician, Janu Minnie, team leader (GRDM), GRDM disaster management chief Gerhard Otto, Nicky Scoeman, EMS medical rescue technician, Paulus Veldkornet, GRDM advanced medical rescue technician, and Bonnita Conrad, GRDM Fire and Rescue Services senior fire fighter. Photo: Alida De Beer
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