Rescuers in Nepal have achieved a remarkable milestone in disaster response, pulling a 64-year-old woman alive from a mud-filled building more than ten days after a massive natural disaster struck the region. The dramatic rescue highlights the ongoing endurance efforts of emergency personnel operating in the rugged terrain of the Himalayan foothills.
The survivor, identified as Chandika Shrestha, was located on the fourth floor of her residential building in the Nuwakot district. Her home had been heavily impacted when a destructive torrent of ice, rock, and mud swept through the local valley. The disaster left vast stretches of the community buried under thick layers of debris and sediment, severely hampering initial access for emergency crews.
Members of Nepal's Armed Police Force made the discovery during ongoing search and clearance operations in the disaster zone. Despite the passage of more than a week since the catastrophic event, search teams continue to scour partially collapsed structures in the hope of finding isolated pockets of survivors.
Following her extraction from the ruined dwelling, emergency workers immediately prepared the elderly woman for urgent medical transport. She was loaded onto an aircraft and airlifted to a medical facility in Kathmandu to receive specialized treatment for her injuries and prolonged exposure.
The incident underscores the extreme vulnerability of mountain communities during seasonal environmental disasters in South Asia. Flash floods and massive landslides triggered by unstable terrain, glacial shifts, and heavy monsoon rains frequently threaten settlements nestled within Himalayan river valleys.
Rescue operations remain active across the affected districts as authorities coordinate relief supplies and assess structural stability throughout the region. Emergency agencies continue to urge caution as personnel navigate unstable debris fields to reach remote areas still cut off by the catastrophe.
Reporting based on coverage first published by BBC News. Read the original report at BBC News.
