ADVERTISEMENT

Rain was 'most wonderful feeling' on quake survivor's face

The 36-year-old Mexican marketing consultant recounted an ordeal of more than 30 hours that started on Tuesday afternoon when the 7.1 earthquake hit Mexico City, bringing down the office block she was in, along with dozens of other buildings.

The suffocating isolation made her think she would die.

When the trembling started, Zamora told AFP, she grabbed her phone and went to the reception area on the third floor of the six-story structure.

From there, she and a workmate, Isaac, started to run for the fire escape -- but never made it.

ADVERTISEMENT

"I fell halfway, and that was when the roof collapsed on top of us," she said.

"When everything stopped falling, the worst part started: you could hear screams, yells, people crying."

She checked her phone, but was unable to make calls.

"Little by little, I started to see I was in a tiny space, and I realized I was isolated. I only had a few scrapes. And I was next to Isaac... I practically couldn't move," Zamora said.

After asking each other if they were OK, the gravity of the situation sunk in.

ADVERTISEMENT

"It's a shock. You find yourself there and you can't believe it. There was a wall about a hand's width from my face," she said.

"As the hours passed, bit by bit we came to accept the reality of it. And each time we heard noises, we yelled nonstop so someone would hear us: 'Help! We're here!'"

'Eternity' under the debris

With no response, she and Isaac discussed where their other colleagues might be, and how things might have been different if they had acted differently, or sooner.

"But Isaac said to me, we went to the emergency exit. We did what we were supposed to do," Zamora said.

ADVERTISEMENT

"And I said, if we're both here in this spot it's because it was the right spot to find ourselves in. Maybe two steps more and we would have died.... What kept me going was the simple fact of still being alive."

Zamora said they shared much of their life stories during those hours of anguish, even though they barely knew each other before disaster struck.

At one point, they heard yells from another trapped colleague nearby, and asked her if she could hear any sounds from outside.

"The rescue took an eternity," Zamora said.

"It took until the next day to be rescued. I don't have the timeframe clear. But around 4:00 or 5:00 pm, we started to hear a lot of noises and machinery getting closer.

ADVERTISEMENT

"That was when both of us started to yell out together, even though we were very tired," she added.

"And after a while, we heard a man ask, 'Are you there?' and it was the first time we'd heard someone else and a really special joy washed over us, and we gave them our names."

Rescue 'like a birth'

But even then, it took around another six hours of captivity under the tons of rubble before a way could be cleared to get them out.

"During that time, we stayed in contact with the rescue workers, swapping jokes, promising to invite them to dinner. They said they'd seen a photo of me, that I had a beautiful smile," Zamora said.

ADVERTISEMENT

"Nobody should ever lose hope in these guys and their profession."

Finally an opening was made, and the rescue workers gained access.

"An arm reached in and took my hand, and for me it was a breath of fresh air, though I still couldn't see any light," Zamora recalled.

"They put me in a harness and ended up pulling me out -- and I so wanted to live.

"When I got out, it was raining -- and the rain on my face was the most wonderful feeling in my life," she added.

ADVERTISEMENT

Around her, everybody applauded.

"For the rescue workers, each life saved is a big celebration, they treat it like a birth," Zamora said.

Now, Zamora, said, she can barely believe she escaped with only a few scrapes.

Returning to work will be some way off as she comes to terms with her near-fatal experience, spending days with her family.

"I'm so very grateful. I feel like I've been given a second chance and that I have an important mission to do in this life, that I will discover bit by bit," she said.

JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!

Unblock notifications in browser settings.
ADVERTISEMENT

Eyewitness? Submit your stories now via social or:

Email: eyewitness@pulse.ng

Recommended articles

Reps vow to retrieve sold Govt helicopters, summon aviation ministers

Reps vow to retrieve sold Govt helicopters, summon aviation ministers

Distress of abducted Kuriga school children led to successful rescue - DHQ

Distress of abducted Kuriga school children led to successful rescue - DHQ

Reps halt NASU's strike to resolve dispute between FG, universities

Reps halt NASU's strike to resolve dispute between FG, universities

Lagos VIS seizes 50 unroadworthy vehicles in enforcement operation

Lagos VIS seizes 50 unroadworthy vehicles in enforcement operation

Aiyedatiwa sends 12 commissioner nominees to Ondo Assembly for confirmation

Aiyedatiwa sends 12 commissioner nominees to Ondo Assembly for confirmation

Woman saves animal from the streets — then she finds out it is something else

Woman saves animal from the streets — then she finds out it is something else

Alake calls on Badaru to fish out illegal miners, violators of mining laws

Alake calls on Badaru to fish out illegal miners, violators of mining laws

Divers find bodies of 2 people who drowned after Baltimore bridge collapsed

Divers find bodies of 2 people who drowned after Baltimore bridge collapsed

INEC rejects LP's National convention in Anambra, questions venue change

INEC rejects LP's National convention in Anambra, questions venue change

Pulse Sports

Nigeria vs Mali: Has Finidi George done enough to land Super Eagles job permanently?

Nigeria vs Mali: Has Finidi George done enough to land Super Eagles job permanently?

I want to emulate Keshi and win the AFCON - Finidi George shares ambitious Super Eagles dream

I want to emulate Keshi and win the AFCON - Finidi George shares ambitious Super Eagles dream

Michelle Alozie: I had to do it because of African referees

Michelle Alozie: I had to do it because of African referees

AC Milan star reveals he was named after Super Eagles legend Tijani Babangida

AC Milan star reveals he was named after Super Eagles legend Tijani Babangida

Give him the job! Super Eagles fans beg NFF to make Finidi George permanent coach after Nigeria's win over Ghana

Give him the job! Super Eagles fans beg NFF to make Finidi George permanent coach after Nigeria's win over Ghana

Super Eagles 2-1 Black Stars: Nigerians praise Iwobi, Lookman, Finidi George after friendly victory against Ghana

Super Eagles 2-1 Black Stars: Nigerians praise Iwobi, Lookman, Finidi George after friendly victory against Ghana

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT