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How long can people survive in the rubble of an earthquake?

"Typically, it is rare to find survivors after the fifth to seventh days, and most search and rescue teams will consider stopping by then,'' said Dr. Jarone Lee, an emergency and disaster medicine expert at Massachusetts General Hospital. "But, there are many stories of people surviving well past the seven-day mark. Unfortunately, these are usually rare and extraordinary cases.''

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After the 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami, a teenager and his 80-year-old grandmother were found alive after nine days trapped in their flattened home. The year before, a 16-year-old Haitian girl was rescued from earthquake rubble in Port-Au-Prince after 15 days.