Nepal floods: 64-year-old woman found alive under debris after 11 days

KATHMANDU: For 11 days, her family believed 64-year-old Chandrika Shrestha was dead. They had even begun preparing for her last rites. But when rescuers heard a faint cry from beneath the mud and debris of her home in Nuwakot, they discovered something no one had expected: Chandrika was still alive.

Her dramatic rescue in Betrawati has brought fresh hope to the families of thousands of people who remain missing after the disaster.

The Bhote Koshi River, swollen by the floods, swept into Chandrika's four-storey house on August 26. Three floors were buried under mud, while Chandrika was trapped on the fourth floor.

Nearly half of the fourth floor was also covered in mud. However, a small amount of air reaching the upper part of the building helped keep her alive.

Rescuers found Chandrika covered in mud and barely conscious. She was given first aid before being airlifted by helicopter to a hospital in Trishuli. She was later shifted to a hospital in Kathmandu.

Rescue dogs help locate trapped woman

• A nine-member Nepal Police team was clearing debris in the area when they heard Chandrika's faint cries.
• Police dogs detected a human presence beneath the debris and helped rescuers locate the source of the sound.
• The operation was immediately adjusted. Heavy machinery was stopped, and rescue workers cleared the mud and debris by hand to reach the fourth floor. Chandrika was then brought to safety.

Chinese worker rescued from tunnel

Another trapped worker has also been rescued from a tunnel in Rasuwa district. Chinese national Lu Haitao was found 225 metres inside a tunnel at the Upper Trishuli-1 hydropower project.

Lu made loud sounds after sensing the presence of rescuers. He had been trapped in mud without food or water. His condition is reported to be satisfactory. He is currently undergoing treatment at a hospital in Kathmandu.

Two workers were rescued from another tunnel on Friday. Around 900 workers were reportedly trapped inside tunnels at hydropower projects in the area.

Death toll reaches 1,375 (Combined death toll from Nepal and Tibet)

Dead: 1,375
Missing: 5,440
Foreign nationals missing: 844
Indians missing: 275