A 47-year-old teacher from Myanmar survived five days buried under the debris of his hotel, thanks to old school lessons and his own urine. Tin Maung Htwe was on a training course in Sagaing when the 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck.
As he sheltered under his bed, the hotel collapsed around him, trapping him beneath a pile of bricks and twisted metal. With no way to access water, Tin Maung Htwe used his own urine to stay hydrated, as he told AFP in an interview.
“I felt like I was in hell,” he said weakly, with oxygen tubes connected to his nose and two intravenous drips inserted into his body. “My body was burning hot, and all I needed was water.”
Tin Maung Htwe’s sister, Nan Yone, described her brother’s rescue as a moment of pure joy. “I was dancing, crying and beating my chest because I was so happy,” she said.
The teacher, who wants to return to his work as a schoolteacher, has also expressed interest in becoming a Buddhist monk. With his strong will to live, Tin Maung Htwe credits his survival to his determination to stay alive.
Source: https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/i-am-free-myanmar-teacher-pulled-out-of-rubble-5-days-after-earthquake-8077163