Man Buried by Quake for 14 Days Says He Gave Up, Tried Suicide

MANILA —  A man rescued Monday 14 days after an earthquake buried him in the basement of a luxury hotel said that while trapped in the darkness, he often wished he were dead and even tried to kill himself.

Pedrito Dy, a cook and part-time fitness instructor, was the third survivor since Friday to be pulled from the ruins of the Hyatt Terraces Hotel in the resort of Baguio.

Dy, 27, was flown to Manila for treatment. Dr. Raul Morena said Dy’s athletic build protected him from serious injury in the 7.7 quake that killed more than 1,600 people on July 16. Doctors said he suffered only from dehydration and low blood sugar, which had caused disorientation.

Speaking from his hospital bed, Dy said that while trapped he lay on his back beneath a cushion, which protected him from the debris that shifted repeatedly in aftershocks.

He said he survived by drinking urine and rainwater. “I caught water with my mouth and scooped urine with the palm of my hand,” Dy said.

Dy’s voice was barely audible. His eyes were glazed and his conversation rambled from recollection to recollection without concern for the subject or sequence.

Dy said he had finished his shift as a cook at the 350-room hotel and headed for the basement gymnasium to lead about a dozen employees in an afternoon workout.

Suddenly the building shook and the force of the temblor hurled him against an exercise mat hanging on a wall. The wall collapsed but the mat shielded him from serious injury.

While trapped, Dy said he was aware of the passage of time because a clock that had hung on the gym wall continued to strike every noon and midnight.

“On the 13th day I told myself I wish I were dead,” he said. “I attempted to kill myself two times. I banged my head on the wall. . . . I prayed constantly to the Virgin Mary and gave my life up to the Lord. Then I wasn’t scared anymore.”

On Sunday, Dy heard noises. It was the tapping of Filipino miners tunneling through the debris. He called out for help. Two hours later he was pulled free.