Pulled Alive from Earthquake Rubble after being Buried for FOUR WEEKS

A man who was pulled alive from a collapsed building in Haiti's capital yesterday may have been buried there ever since the earthquake struck 27 days ago. Named locally as Evan Muncie, the 28-year-old rice vendor was brought to a U.S. field hospital in Port au Prince by people digging out a marketplace.

How he survived for so long is unclear but he apparently told doctors that someone 'in a white coat' kept bringing him water while he was pinned down. He also told medics that he could hear excavating going on around him and feared being buried alive, according to a CNN report.

His mother said: 'I thought he was dead, but God kept him from dying.' After examining him doctors said he appeared disoriented and may have been hallucinating during his time under the rubble.

'Initially, I'm sure he had his senses with him, so maybe he was able to find some kind of resources,' Dr Mike Connelly told CNN, adding he had to have had access to water in order to survive that long.

Even so, Dr Connelly added: 'He was emaciated. He hadn't had anything in quite some time. He had open wounds that were festering on both of his feet.' Doctors said he was suffering from extreme malnutrition and dehydration, but did not appear to have any injuries caused by the rubble.

It is not clear if the people who found him were foreign aid workers or local neighbours. His family said he had been missing since the January 12 earthquake devastated the island nation killing an estimated 200,000.

Dr Dushyantha Jayaweera, of the University of Miami field hospital, told Reuters it was plausible that Mr Muncie had been buried since the quake.

'It is unusual but not impossible,' he said.

'He was quite dehydrated and he was wasted, so there are certain things that suggest that it's true.

'He's still sick, he cannot talk to anybody, but we are very optimistic with the condition of the patient.'

The Haitian government called for an end to search and rescue operations on January 23. But survivors, such as 16-year-old Darlene Etienne were being pulled from the rubble as late as January 27.