After a mudslide that lapped the Himalayan valley in Nepal, rescuers have found a survivor: Chandika Shrestha, a 64‑year‑old woman living in the Nuwakot district. In the early hours of September 5, Nepal’s Armed Police Force reported that Shrestha was alive on the fourth floor of a partially buried home, surrounded by mud, rock and debris.
She was air‑lifted to a hospital in Kathmandu for medical treatment, where doctors are assessing her injuries. While the exact extent of her injuries has not yet been reported, her survival offers a glimmer of hope amid a region that has endured more than ten days of landslides and flooding.
The incident comes as part of a larger pattern of weather‑induced disasters in the area, following severe floods that have already claimed lives and displaced others. Local officials and volunteer teams remain on high alert for additional rescue missions in the wake of the latest mudslide.
It is unclear when Shrestha’s house was first buried; early reports indicated that the building collapsed partially, leaving crevices that the woman was able to hide inside. Rescue crews are continuing to comb through the site, searching for other survivors, and for those who may be trapped under rubble.
Sources indicate that the delivery of supplies and support to the area is ongoing, and where there is a risk of future landslides, local authorities are urging residents to evacuate. The underground pockets below structures may shelter people for days, but the high risk of collapse and deadly mud remains a serious danger.
