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Doctors treating an emaciated 28-year-old Haitian man on Tuesday said they believed he survived 27 days buried in rubble after the January 12 earthquake.

The man, named as Evans Monsigrace, told doctors at a University of Miami field hospital in Port-au-Prince that he had been buried by the quake while cooking rice.

"Amazingly he got out after 27 days. It's amazing and we are proud to have him here," said doctor Dushyantha Jayaweera, the chief medical officer at the center.

Jayaweera said his patient was stable."Today he is alert, oriented," he said, "his prognosis is very good."

It was not immediately possible to verify Monsigrace's claim and there was no concrete explanation for how he survived so long if he was trapped under the rubble without access to water.

Monsigrace was brought into the hospital on Monday and was treated by emergency doctors, Jayaweera said.

"Yesterday around mid-day the patient was brought by his family. He was very emaciated and looked quite dehydrated," the doctor said.

According to the man's mother, he was discovered by people clearing debris who then alerted Monsigrace's brothers.

Jayaweera said Monsigrace was very confused, which was to be expected, but had no damage to his internals organs.

"I think it tells us about people not giving up on their loved ones, they kept looking and kept hoping," the doctor said.

AFP