Hopes fade for Salvador 'survivor'

Salvadoreans are still mourning their dead

Rescue teams in El Salvador have abandoned their search for a man believed to have been buried under his house after the earthquake nine days ago.

They say there is now no hope of finding any survivors from the earthquake, which killed more than 700 people.

A French rescue team earlier said they had found signs of life in the ruins of a house at Las Colinas, which was destroyed by the mudslide triggered by the earth tremors.

Soldiers are helping to shift debris

According to local television reports, the man - named Luis Alberto Alas - was detected as long as a week ago when he made two calls from his mobile phone.

But a local Red Cross official told the BBC that the search for him was called off early on Monday.

One of the rescuers said that at one point they had detected the sounds of dripping water, which they thought the victim might have been able to drink, thus keeping himself alive.

Relatives said Mr Alas was repairing his house when the earthquake struck.

'National plan'

Officials have warned that it could take more than a year to repair the damage caused by the earthquake.

President Francisco Flores has said a total of 750,000 people have been left homeless by the disaster.

People will have to clear huge piles of earth before any rebuilding can begin

Some victims in remoter areas have yet to receive any aid at all.

"Obviously we are not reaching everybody but we hope we are getting to those whose need is greatest," President Flores said.

The full cost of the damage caused by the massive quake is still not known, but with more than 120,000 houses in ruins, the reconstruction bill could run to more than $1bn.

Coffee growers have said that about 20% of this year's harvest, which earns the country vital hard cash, has been lost in the quake.

President Flores has announced a "national plan" to rebuild houses destroyed by the quake.

In a first step, each affected family will be given 1,500 colones ($170) to clear and remove the ruins of its house and attendant debris.

Once that is done, "the rehabilitation phase will start, and only then the reconstruction," said the president.