Survivor of collapsed building: 'I always had faith'

Rescuers called the successful rescue of a woman who had been trapped under a collapsed self-built residential building in Hunan province for about 132 hours "a miracle".

The building collapse happened in Wangcheng district in the provincial capital of Changsha. A total of 23 people are believed to be trapped under the rubble, and 39 others who are thought to be near the building when it fell are still missing, according to a preliminary investigation.

The woman pulled from the rubble just after midnight on Thursday was the 10th trapped person to be rescued.

Meanwhile, five people are confirmed dead, local authorities said in a news conference on Thursday.

"I always had faith that you would get me out," the woman said to the rescuers after they reached her, according to video footage from CCTV.

To ensure they missed no signals sent out by survivors during the search and rescue operations, rescuers often asked people on site to stay quiet and keep vehicle engines and machines off at night. This strategy helped the rescuers locate the woman at around 8:40 pm on Wednesday.

"The woman is conscious and even reminded rescuers to avoid acts that might hurt her. It's a miracle," a rescuer told CCTV. "We are looking forward to the next one."

Another silent search was conducted after the survivor was sent to the hospital.

The rescuers detected signs of life through traditional methods, such as shouting, knocking using and sniffer dogs, as well as by employing life detectors and drones, said Liang Buge, an emergency expert.