A man in his 80s has been rescued 36 hours after he was trapped in his house following a magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck northeastern Japan earlier this week, rescue workers said Saturday.
The man fell over as a result of the quake at 11:36 p.m. Wednesday and was unable to move, they said, adding that when rescued, he was conscious and had apparently suffered no critical injuries. He was then taken to a hospital.
The emergency service received a call for help at around 11 a.m. Friday from an acquaintance of the man who had visited the house in Sendai to confirm his safety.
As the front door was locked, the rescuers entered the house through a window on the second floor and found him lying on the floor, they said.
"Without the call, we wouldn't even have realized there was a person inside," an official with the local fire department said.