Nepal Floods: Woman, 64, Pulled Alive After Ten Days Trapped Under Debris

Emergency personnel in Nepal have successfully rescued a 64-year-old woman, Chandrika Shrestha, from under thick mud and debris, ten days after devastating floods ravaged the country. The miraculous rescue occurred on Saturday, September 5, as authorities continue their extensive search for thousands of individuals still missing.

Shrestha was found alive within her damaged home in Nuwakot district, which had been buried by the massive flooding that struck the region on August 26. Members of Nepal's Armed Police Force celebrated as the mud-covered woman was extracted from her submerged residence. Deputy Superintendent of Police, Iqbal Hawari, confirmed to AFP that a police team discovered her while clearing the area, and she has since been airlifted to Kathmandu for urgent medical attention.

A video released by Nepal's Armed Police Force provided a glimpse of the dire situation, showing only a fraction of Shrestha's house visible, with its lower levels completely engulfed by sludge.

This incredible rescue follows another successful operation where a Chinese national was found alive inside a 225-meter (740ft) tunnel at the Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project in Nepal's Rasuwa district. The Nepali military reported on Saturday, September 5, that a combined team of its army personnel and South Korean disaster experts extracted the man, who is now undergoing health assessments. Images showed him being transported via helicopter after being brought out of the tunnel.

Earlier, on Friday, September 4, two Nepali workers were also rescued from a different tunnel at a hydro-station located on the Trishuli River. However, experts have expressed growing concerns that the chances of finding more survivors alive in the tunnels are rapidly diminishing.

Rescue operations have largely concentrated on about a dozen hydropower projects across Nepal, where approximately 900 workers are unaccounted for, with an estimated 500 believed to be trapped within massive tunnels. International rescue teams from India, China, South Korea, and the US are actively sifting through debris and damaged structures at these sites in hopes of locating survivors.

The devastating floods, triggered by a glacial and rock collapse on August 26, have severely complicated rescue efforts due to widespread infrastructural damage. Over 40 bridges have collapsed, and rivers are swelling unpredictably. According to Nepal’s disaster management agency, the floods have claimed at least 1,375 lives, with more than 5,000 people still missing. The agency also reported that 1,344 bodies have been recovered, comprising 758 adults, 85 children, and 501 with missing body parts.