A German tourist missing for five days has told Xinhua how villagers in an isolated community cared for him for five days after the southwest China earthquake.

Brakus Bogdan, 62, was initially reported to have been pulled alive from quake debris, but he had in fact been safe and well, staying in Taoguan village, near the epicenter of the quake in Wenchuan County.

Bogdan was located early on Thursday, but soldiers from the People's Liberation Army were only able to evacuate him from the village on Saturday, 114 hours after the quake.

"I am totally fine. Nothing is wrong with me," the climber with the Munich-based Hauser Travel Agency told Xinhua by phone.

He was traveling with translator Xu Jianming and driver Gao Wei in a four-wheeled drive vehicle across a bridge when the quake happened.

After the major tremor that lasted for about 10 minutes, they escaped from the vehicle and climbed over a large pile of landslide debris. Ahead they found the small village, where they stayed for the past five days with quake survivors.

Bogdan said local people provided them food and drinking water. At night, they went back to sleep in the vehicle.

The trio, all in good condition, have been moved to a tent at the military disaster relief headquarters in the county seat, north of Taoguan village and about 90 minutes away by car.

Wang Kai, an officer in charge of communications with the Chengdu Military Command, said rescuers would transport them to Sichuan's capital, Chengdu, when a suitable vehicle became available.

(Xinhua News Agency May 17, 2008)