Rome - The firefighter who rescued a 4-year-old girl from under rubble after Italy's earthquake, which killed her older sister, described the girl's survival as miraculous in an interview on Friday.
"She was practically unscathed: I swear that if miracles exist, this was definitely one," Massimo Caico told La Repubblica newspaper about the rescue that has captured the attention of the stricken nation.
The girl, Giorgia, had spent about 16 hours under the rubble on Wednesday before Caico managed to pull her out. He added that the girl was found crouching with her head down beneath her dead sister.
Giorgia lived in Pescara del Tronto, a hamlet in the municipality of Arquata del Tronto where 49 died, according to the latest numbers.
Caico's team arrived in Pescara del Tronto and started digging at 9 am, but the sisters were not found until the late evening. The team was directed to the girls' house by other rescuers who had already saved their parents, who were seriously injured in the earthquake.
The firefighter said he first found a doll and then a cuddly toy, but he could hear no signs of life. Then, a sniffer dog detected something, and as rescuers continued digging, they found a mattress, then the corner of a pillow, and then a foot.
The foot belonged to the survivor's sister, and it was cold. As Caico cleared the rubble to free up the rest of the dead body, he saw earth moving next to it, suggesting that someone was breathing underneath. Then a strong aftershock temporarily disrupted the rescue efforts.
undefined"I shouted to colleagues and rescuers: 'Shut up for a moment.' I wasn't sure of anything, but we heard a girl's lament. Faint, almost imperceptible, but it was there. So I shouted: 'She is alive,' " the firefighter recalled.
"Her mouth was full of earth, she was completely buried, but she was protected by the body of her older sister, Giulia, who unfortunately we found dead. God knows how, she could breath a little, and that was enough," Caico said.
As she was extracted, the girl was alert and told rescuers her name.
Caico, who is married with no children, said he would "never forget" the girl's eyes and added that he considers her an adopted daughter.
According to La Repubblica, Giorgia is now in the hospital and being looked after by her grandmother, but she is too traumatized to speak.
DPA