Two more of the victims trapped in earthquake debris in Deyang city have returned from the brink of death. Trapped for 80 hours the victims finally re-emerged into the light.

Once the girl was carried to safety, rescue of the trapped boy became relatively simpler. (CCTV.com)

They were buried beneath heavy tiles. Rescuers carefully surveyed the immediate surroundings and began their painstaking work, to clear the debris by hand. As the work proceeded members of the rescue team continued to speak words of encouragement to the two victims below.

Once the girl was carried to safety, rescue of the trapped boy became relatively simpler. The chief concern was the boys' own stamina and endurance. Rescuers kept talking to raise his spirits and they gave him oxygen.

The boy and girl owe their lives to the fallen precast floor slabs that formed a protective shield around them. There they lay, never knowing throughout most of their ordeal if they were to live or die, until rescue finally arrived.

(CCTV May 17, 2008)