A 22-year-old man was rescued on Monday after being buried in the rubble of a house for almost 20 hours, after a serious earthquake hit Ludian county, Yunnan province, on Sunday afternoon, according to China News Service.

About 11:30 am on Monday, Yang Guoyun, a villager in Longtoushan township, was rescued with the help of an excavator, the service said.

Yang was on a third-floor building with his mother when the quake occurred at 4:30 pm on Sunday, and the two were both buried when the building collapsed, according to the report.

When he was rescued, Yang said he was thirsty and wanted to drink, the report added. His mother did not survive.