Buried Alive Under The Tunnel—Pulled Out Days Later

Rescuers in Nepal pulled Chandika Kumari Shrestha alive from her mud-filled home, a rare win amid deadly monsoon landslides.

Story Snapshot

Nepali army teams rescued Chandika Shrestha from a partially buried home in Betrawati.
Images show rescuers giving her water while working in thick sludge.
The rescue comes during peak monsoon months when most landslides strike.
Experts say survival drops fast after 72 hours, underscoring the rescue’s rarity.

Rescue In A Buried Home In Betrawati

Nepali army responders rescued Chandika Kumari Shrestha from her home in Betrawati on Saturday, according to official statements reported by Reuters. Authorities shared an image showing her caked in mud inside a flooded underground space. Rescuers offered water as they worked in a cramped area filled with thick sludge. The scene reflects high risk and low visibility conditions. Teams had to move slowly to avoid fresh collapses and to keep the survivor stable while clearing debris.

The rescue unfolded in Nuwakot district, one of several areas hit by landslides and flood debris in recent weeks. The broader disaster has strained local services and rural roads. Army units, police, and local volunteers have carried stretchers through mud and broken masonry. Simple steps, like passing water to a trapped person, can keep someone alive long enough for extraction. That is what appears to have happened here, giving Shrestha the strength to hold on.

Why This Survivor Story Stands Out

Survival after a building collapse or landslide depends on time, water, injuries, and air pockets. Disaster experts say the first 72 hours are critical, and chances fall as hours pass without clean water. Shrestha’s rescue came days into a relentless monsoon pattern, making it rare and newsworthy. Trained crews can raise the odds by delivering water and basic care before a full extraction. That intervention can turn a recovery into a rescue.

Nepal’s landslide risk spikes during the monsoon months. A review of decades of records found that about 91.7 percent of landslide events and about 90.9 percent of deaths occur from June to September. Steep slopes, intense rain, and loose soils create sudden failures. Villages like Betrawati often sit on riverbanks or hillsides near roads and farms. When hills give way, homes can be buried within minutes, leaving residents trapped below layers of mud and rock.

Strain On Emergency Systems During Peak Monsoon

Nepal’s Ministry of Home Affairs leads immediate rescue and relief work during disasters, coordinating with security forces and local groups to reach survivors quickly. International and local reviews have urged better equipment, clearer plans, and stronger logistics to speed response in rough terrain. In heavy rain, helicopters face weather limits, and roads wash out. That means army and police teams often hike in on foot, carry tools by hand, and rely on simple gear.

Past monsoon seasons show how this pressure builds across many districts at once. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies reported hundreds of deaths and injuries during the 2021 season, with local government, Nepal Police, and the Nepal Red Cross Society running rapid assessments and aid deliveries under tight timelines. These efforts show a pattern: when many sites are hit at once, responders must triage scarce teams and supplies to places with the best chance to save lives.

What This Rescue Tells Us About Risk And Readiness

Shrestha’s rescue highlights the value of fast water and medical support at the scene. It also shows that trained crews, even with basic tools, can find and stabilize survivors in tight spaces. Experts point to hydration, air pockets, and minimal injuries as key survival factors after the 72-hour mark. For rural Nepal, practical steps like early warnings, safer building sites, and simple caches of medical and digging tools can cut deaths when slopes fail.

For readers watching from the United States, the lesson is simple and broad. When systems are stretched, local skill and speed matter most. Clear roles, stocked gear, and trust between communities and the state save minutes, and minutes save lives. Nepal’s monsoon pattern is different from our own risks, but the core truth travels: invest before disaster, act fast during it, and keep focus on the human being in the debris who only needs water, air, and a path out.