Nepali woman found alive days after family began mourning rites

Chandika Kumari Shrestha, a Nepali woman, was discovered alive ten days after her family commenced the mourning rites for her following the devastating floods. The family believed she had perished in the floodwaters. Rescuers found her alive inside her collapsed home in the Betrawati village, where she had managed to survive within a narrow air pocket amidst the water and mud.

The four-story house was entirely washed away by the floodwaters, leaving a quicksand-like mess. Police officer Mahendra Darnal reported that they heard Shrestha's voice calling for help. A 45-minute rescue operation eventually led to her discovery, and she was immediately transported to an army hospital. Shrestha was among the hundreds of people missing in Betrawati, one of the areas most severely impacted by the floods.

The town's market and many residential buildings, some reaching up to four stories, were almost entirely buried under debris from a torrential downpour that swept through the valley. The disaster claimed over 1,300 lives across Nepal, with thousands still unaccounted for. Rescue workers, clad in hard hats, were seen excavating the rubble, while some crawled through openings in the collapsed structures, using whistles to alert anyone trapped and alive.

Five days prior, 24 bodies were found in a decomposed state in the market area of Betrawati, which had once housed a small shop. Despite the grim situation, hope remains as authorities continue their search efforts, including in tunnels and under hardened layers of mud.