‘A warrior’: How a 97-year-old was pulled alive from Nepal floods

A remarkable 97-year-old woman, Guna Maya Bohara, was rescued alive from the aftermath of devastating floods in Nepal, her relatives recounting a story of endurance reminiscent of a warrior returning victorious from battle. Her great-nephew, Dipak Bohara, traveled from Kathmandu to assist in freeing her from the rubble of their family's care home.

This rescue stands out as a glimmer of hope amidst a disaster that has claimed hundreds of lives across Nepal and Tibet since a glacier collapse triggered the floods. The floods wreaked havoc on roads, bridges, and power lines, severing a vital corridor connecting Kathmandu with Lhasa in Tibet, a route frequently utilized by trekkers and pilgrims.

Rescuers found themselves navigating treacherous conditions to reach trapped individuals, often trekking into the disaster zones themselves. Dipak Bohara's journey to his great-aunt's rescue exemplifies this risk.

Over 3,700 people have been rescued in Nepal to date, with thousands of security personnel deployed in the search and rescue operation. However, the effort has been significantly hampered by the rapidly evolving disaster. One complicating factor emerged when debris blocked a river, creating a massive lake that rapidly accumulated millions of cubic meters of water, threatening to flood downstream communities.

As a precautionary measure, rescue operations were temporarily halted for around 90 minutes, and Chinese rescue teams were promptly relocated to safer locations before resuming their efforts. The international impact of the disaster is considerable, as the affected route is heavily trafficked by tourists and pilgrims heading to Tibet's Mount Kailash and Lake Mansarovar.

India has responded to the crisis by dispatching relief flights, a tunnel rescue team, and a prefabricated bridge to restore connectivity in the flood-affected regions. On the Chinese side, rescue teams have been deployed to Gyirong county, where state media report that more than 1,000 people, including hundreds of tourists, have been successfully evacuated.