A man from Dong Thap Province, who was missing in a storage freezer warehouse managed to survive for five days trapped under frozen goods.

Sang receives treatment at Cho Ray Hospital

Mai Thanh Sang, 23, was operating a forklift to load fish in a storage freezer warehouse on July 19 when he crashed into a shelf. Several racks of frozen goods collapsed, leaving Sang buried underneath a large pile stored at a temperature of -10 degrees Celsius.

“I was crushed by ice. I was trying to scream but it did not make sense. I felt terribly hungry knew i was getting frostbite. At first I thought I would die, but I quickly regained hope. My motivation to stay alive came from thoughts of my wife and my two-month-old baby. I held on by licking the ice. But I was becoming more and more exhausted.” he recalled.

Five days later he heard someone calling his name. “I tried so hard to scream out. Luckily they could hear me. I feel so happy to be alive.”

Back to life after five frozen days

He was sent to Dong Thap provincial General Hospital for first aid before being transferred to Cho Ray Hospital in HCM City on July 25 for further treatment.

Doctor Tran Doan Dao, from Cho Ray Hospital, said, “Sang’s condition is improving. However, he has serious frostbite on his hands and feet. We are still trying to work out the best treatment for him."

According to Dao, the patient survived thanks to the thick clothes he was wearing.