Nepal flood: How 97-year-old grandmother survived after being rescued in digger bucket

In Nepal's devastating floods, 97-year-old Gunmaya Bohra has become a symbol of hope and resilience. A video of Ms Bohra sitting in the bucket of a mechanical digger, enveloped in mud, has gone viral, capturing her survival in the flood-ravaged area of Kabilash, Nuwakot. Four days after the disaster, The National tracked her down at Kathmandu’s Bir Hospital, where she was recovering.

Although she had avoided serious injury, she was too frail to speak initially, only uttering a few words after three days of trauma. Her grandson, Rasik Bohra, said she was slightly traumatised but now fine. The rescue, however, only tells part of the story. Several members of Ms Bohra's family and others close to her remain missing, including her maternal uncle and relatives on her mother's side, as well as her father's friend.

She believes more than 50 people from the affected area could still be unaccounted for. Finding Ms Bohra was not easy, involving the scouring of patient lists and hospital records. Her grandson travelled to Devighat to search for her, only to find the area engulfed by mud, water, and debris. The search required heavy machinery to clear roads, with Ms Bohra being stuck in the mud for about eight or nine hours before being freed.

Despite her age and the time spent trapped, she has no significant injuries. The government will cover her hospital expenses, and doctors are preparing to discharge her. The family must now deal with the aftermath, with several relatives and people from the community still missing. Mr Bohra urged the international community to help Nepal, emphasizing that the story of his grandmother's rescue is just the beginning.