ROANOKE TIMES

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, July 28, 1990                   TAG: 9007280323
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-12   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: BAGUIO, PHILIPPINES                                LENGTH: Medium


PHILIPPINE MINERS' HUNT FOR SURVIVORS SAVES TWO LIVES

Miners who heard cries of "Help us!" rescued two people Friday from the rubble of a luxury hotel that collapsed 11 days ago in an earthquake that killed more than 1,600 people.

Doctors said the man and woman were in surprisingly good condition.

The man said a beam missed his head by inches. He was found lying near the bodies of four people.

Rescuers said the woman was in good spirits. They said when they called out "Mrs., are you all right?" she shouted back: "I'm still a miss!"

Manila radio reporters, broadcasting from the scene, said the two survived by drinking rainwater.

Rescuers and spectators cheered as Luisa Mallorca, a 20-year-old cleaning woman, was pulled from the wreckage of the Hyatt Hotel at about 9:50 p.m. Arnel Calabia, a 26-year-old security guard, was recovered about an hour later.

As dawn broke today, miners combed the hotel for other possible survivors. They pulled two male bodies from the debris. The miners and other volunteers vowed to keep looking until all the missing were accounted for.

At least 18 people who were in the Hyatt during the July 16 quake are still missing. Foreign rescue teams gave up searching last week.

Calabia said he, Mallorca and a male employee were on the third floor when the quake struck. All three dived under tables "and then the ceiling fell in," he said in a radio interview. "We recovered consciousness later and we called out to each other."

The three lay in the dark, talked to each other and prayed, Calabia and Mallorca said. The other man was badly hurt and died about four days ago.

Calabia and Mallorca were being treated at Baguio General Hospital. Doctors said both suffered cuts, bruises and severe dehydration.



 by CNB