**Nepali Woman Found Alive Days After Family Begins Mourning Rites**
*By Adnan Abidi*
In a remarkable turn of events, Chandika Kumari Shrestha, an elderly woman from Betrawati village in Nepal, was discovered alive ten days after her family had commenced mourning rituals, believing she had perished in the devastating floods that struck the region. The floods, triggered by a glacial collapse, have wreaked havoc across Nepal, resulting in significant loss of life and widespread destruction.
Shrestha was found trapped in a collapsed four-storey home, which had been swept away by the floods. Rescuers reported that she survived in a narrow pocket of air amidst the debris, water, and mud that had engulfed her home. Police officer Mahendra Darnal, who participated in the rescue operation, recounted the moment they heard her voice calling for help. “While walking around the site, we heard a voice saying ‘save me,’” he stated.
The rescue operation took place on a Saturday and lasted approximately 45 minutes. Darnal and his team managed to extract Shrestha from her confined space and subsequently transported her to an army hospital for medical attention. Notably, her family had already begun the 11-day mourning period, reflecting the widespread belief that she was among the hundreds reported missing in the aftermath of the floods.
Betrawati village has been identified as one of the hardest-hit areas, with many homes and buildings, some reaching four storeys in height, buried under debris. The floods have left the town's market and residential structures almost completely overwhelmed by sediment and wreckage, described by some as being compacted like concrete. As rescue efforts continue, teams are still recovering bodies from the rubble, with many more individuals unaccounted for.
The floods in Nepal have claimed over 1,300 lives, with thousands still missing. In the days following the disaster, search and recovery operations have been ongoing, with rescue workers equipped with shovels and hard hats meticulously digging through the debris. Some workers have crawled through gaps in the collapsed structures, using whistles to signal any potential survivors trapped beneath.
In a grim update, just five days prior to Shrestha's rescue, authorities discovered 24 decomposed bodies in the market area of Betrawati, highlighting the scale of the tragedy that has unfolded. The floods have not only affected Betrawati but have also led to mass burials in other regions, including Chitwan, where unidentified and badly decomposed bodies have been laid to rest.
As of now, approximately 5,000 individuals remain unaccounted for in the wake of the disaster. Search efforts continue, with authorities focused on locating people believed to be trapped in tunnels and under the hardened deposits of mud that have settled over buildings. Since Friday, rescuers have successfully pulled three individuals from tunnels, including a Chinese citizen near the Trishuli River, where it is estimated that over 900 people may be trapped.
The story of Chandika Kumari Shrestha serves as a beacon of hope amid the despair that has enveloped many families in Nepal. Her survival, alongside that of an 8-year-old boy who was recently reunited with his mother, underscores the resilience of the human spirit in the face of overwhelming adversity. As rescue operations continue, the focus remains on finding more individuals who may still be alive beneath the rubble, while the nation mourns the profound loss of life and the destruction caused by the floods.