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

A 97-year-old grandmother, Gunmaya Bohra, survived Nepal's devastating floods after being rescued from a mechanical digger bucket. The images of her, caked in mud, quickly spread across social media, becoming a defining moment of the disaster. Four days after the tragedy, The National tracked down Ms Bohra and her family at Kathmandu’s Bir Hospital, where she was recuperating.

Despite her frailty, she was too weak to speak for the initial days following her rescue. Her grandson, Rasik Bohra, described her as slightly traumatized but fine now. The rescue team placed her in a large metal bucket and carried her across the mud to safety. However, the rescuers' efforts did not save everyone from the disaster.

Several family members and people from the community remain missing, including a maternal uncle, relatives on her mother's side, and her father's friend. Mr Bohra estimated that more than 50 individuals could be unaccounted for, but confirmed that Ms Bohra has no significant injuries and is expected to be discharged from the hospital.

The relief felt by the family was tempered by the ongoing search for the missing, as well as the destruction of homes, damaged roads, and the absence of relatives in the flood-affected region.