China earthquake survivor found after 17 days

A Chinese worker who helped heal his colleagues’ wounds was rescued after a deadly earthquake and then disappeared into the mountains 17 days later.

Gan Yu, an employee at the Wandong Hydropower Station, was found alive but injured on Wednesday by a local resident, state broadcaster China National Radio reported, calling the rescue a “miracle of life.”

A 6.6-magnitude earthquake hit southwest China’s Sichuan Province on September 5, killing at least 93 people and forcing thousands to live in makeshift camps.

Gan was working with his colleague Luo Yong when the quake struck, and the two remained at the scene to take care of their injured colleagues and prevent floods from overflowing the dam.

They walked about 20 kilometers trying to get out of the factory, but Gan, who is very nearsighted, lost his glasses in the earthquake and had trouble getting out of the mountainous area, according to the RNC.

The two men desperately tried to send signals to the rescuers.

“We took off our clothes and hung them on tree branches and waved them,” Lu told the radio.

They eventually decided that Gan should stay in one place while Lu was looking for help.

Lu was found on September 8 after using fire to get the attention of a helicopter, but when they reached Jan’s makeshift shelter on September 11, he had disappeared.

Days ago, local farmer Ni Taigao returned to his village at the foot of the mountain where the hydroelectric power station is located and learned about Gan’s research. He joined the search on Wednesday and after two hours of walking he heard Gann’s muffled screams and soon after found him under some trees.