Quake survivor 'sawed off own leg'

The construction worker, called Ramlan, was trapped in rubble when a concrete girder crushed his right leg up to the shin.

Fearing aftershocks, the 18-year-old decided his only means of escape was to cut off a leg and he grabbed a hoe.

Ramlan hacked at his leg but the instrument was too blunt to cut through to the bone.

Other workers had fled in panic in the aftermath of the quake, which hit the island of Sumatra on September 30.

But Ramlan was able to use his mobile to phone a friend, who returned to the scene in the capital of Padang. Ramlan was handed a wood saw and continued the task until the pain became too much. His friend then finished the amputation.

The young man was taken to Yos Sudarso Catholic hospital, where doctors cleaned his wound and made a further amputation slightly further up.

He told his story to the charity Caritas, an international partner of DEC member Cafod.

DEC chief executive Brendan Gormley said: "Ramlan's actions were extraordinary and the courage and determination he showed is typical of many survivors with whom we are working. After the earthquakes in Indonesia, and the typhoons in the Philippines and Vietnam, survivors would have been the first to help themselves and others.

"Now they urgently need international support, including that being provided by DEC members and partners who are bringing in urgently-needed aid and medical supplies."