A doctor says an elderly woman who was rescued from a collapsed house 124 hours after Monday's powerful earthquake in central Japan has recovered enough to have conversations.

Rescuers found the woman in her 90s trapped under a two-story house in Suzu City, Ishikawa Prefecture, at around 8:20 p.m. on Saturday. She was taken to a hospital for treatment.

The doctor told reporters the next day that she sustained leg injuries, but she is now well enough to chat.

A member of the emergency rescue team, Kume Takanori, said the woman's knees had been stuck beneath furniture and other objects, with almost no space between the first and second floors.

He said rescuers worked carefully by hand in the narrow space and it took several hours to pull her out.

Kume noted that it is rare for people to be rescued beyond 72 hours after the quake, as the chance of survival in a disaster is said to drop significantly after the first 3 days.

But he said the rescue team will continue operations without giving up, believing there would be many such cases.

Inaba Mototaka, a doctor of non-profit organization Peace Winds Japan, said he was happy to save the woman's life through cooperation between medical and rescue teams.

He said some people have been rescued as long as they can drink water and are in warm conditions, even after the 72-hour mark.

Inaba speculates the woman may have been able to access water when it was raining.