Woman rescued after nine days as China plans billions for relief

A woman emerged alive on Wednesday after being trapped for nine days in a tunnel following China's earthquake...

A woman emerged alive on Wednesday after being trapped for nine days in a tunnel following China’s earthquake, as the government ordered budget cuts to fund a multi-billion-dollar relief package.

Rescuers plucked to safety the woman who had been stuck in the water tunnel of a hydropower plant in southwestern Sichuan province’s quake-ravaged town of Shifang, the state-run Xinhua news agency said.

Cui Changhui was airlifted to a hospital and her life was not in danger, even though she suffered fractures to her right arm, ribs and lower back, it said, without giving her age.

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It was the latest amazing survival story that has given much cheer to many Chinese as they try to cope with the May 12 earthquake that the government said Wednesday had killed or left missing more than 74,000 people. But she was the only person rescued on Wednesday and with hopes fading of finding any more survivors, relief work focused on the desperate plight of the 5.2 million people left homeless.

The Cabinet, in a meeting chaired by Premier Wen Jiabao, ordered 70 billion yuan for reconstruction and 25 billion yuan for relief operations.