Woman Rescued in Nepal After Family Began Mourning Rites

A 64 year old woman named Chandika Kumari Shrestha was rescued on Saturday from the ruins of her four story home following devastating floods in Nepal. Shrestha survived by remaining in a small pocket of air while surrounded by water and mud. Police officer Mahendra Darnal reported that the rescue operation took 45 minutes after rescuers heard her voice calling for help. Shrestha had been among the hundreds of missing people in Betrawati, an area where sediment hardened like concrete over homes and markets. Her family had already begun the 11 day mourning period before her rescue. Following the operation, she was taken to a military hospital. The disaster in the Himalaya region has killed more than 1,300 people in Nepal. In Tibet, state media reports 43 dead and 519 missing. In total, more than 5,500 people are missing. Other survivors have also been found, including an 8 year old boy and three people rescued from tunnels, including a Chinese citizen. Recovery efforts continue as teams use shovels to find bodies and search through debris. In Chitwan, mass burials have been conducted for unidentified bodies in advanced states of decomposition.