A forty nine year old Japanese woman survived being lost for two weeks in the Nepalese wilderness as a sixty three year old Japanese female climber was killed in an avalanche.
Makiko Iwafuchi of Chiba said that she survived by eating grass, drinking river water, taking shelter in small caves and praying.
After losing her way on a popular trail she became disorientated and failed to find her way back. She said she walked for days but was unable to find the trail or come in contact with any villagers until Tuesday, when she heard voices.
"I screamed, saying, 'Hello! Please help me!'" she told reporters after returning to Katmandu on Friday. "It was a miracle. I felt at ease and thanked God."
Aside from some visible insect bites, she appeared to be fine three days after her ordeal about 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Katmandu, at an elevation of more than 14,000 feet (4,300 meters).
Iwafuchi said that when she got lost roughly 1,600 feet (500 meters) from the trail, she waited for help in the area for two days. When no one came, she decided to search for a way back.
The local police and soldiers had begun a search a day after she went missing, but they found no trace of her.
She said she walked from dawn to dusk for days, eating grass and bamboo and drinking river water. She took shelter in small caves on the mountain and under rocks, covering herself with leaves.
"The weather was not cold. It only drizzled a few days," she said, though she added that one night she did get soaked when she had only a tree to protect her from the rain.
"I knew there were not dangerous animals in the area, so I was safe," Iwafuchi said.
"I prayed if I survive I will change. I will be kind to people and more generous. There was a couple of times that I feared I will not survive, but I still believed that God will give me a second chance," she said.
After Iwafuchi was found, she was carried to the local hospital. She said doctors treated her blistered toes but found her to be in good health otherwise.
Iwafuchi plans to continue trekking, but not by herself.
Separately, not far from where Iwafuchi got lost, rescuers in Nepal removed the body of a Japanese woman who died in an avalanche while trying to scale the 19,172-foot-high (5,844-meter-high) Naya Kanga peak in Rashuwa district.
The 63 year old Japanese woman named as Masue Yoshida was killed on Saturday afternoon in an avalanche at Naya Kanga peak 5844m, 30 kms north of Kathmandu The rescue was carried out from an altitude of 18000ft.
Masue Yoshida and Kumar Rai were on their way up to the summit when they met with the fatal accident on Saturday afternoon, June 4. In the wee hours of June 10, Fishtail Air’s AS350 B3 helicopter under the command of Captain Ashish Sherchan with Fishtail Air’s rescue guide Tsering Pande Bhote on board took off from Kathmandu heading for Naya Kanga Peak.
After a recce at 18000ft the deceased’s body was spotted and the duo in co-ordination performed a Sling recovery of the body from the base at Langtang airfield and flew it back to Kathmandu where the family members were waiting to receive her. The mission was carried out by an all Nepali crew.
Post Title
→Triumph and tragedy for Japanese women in Nepal
Post URL
→https://national-grid-news.blogspot.com/2011/06/triumph-and-tragedy-for-japanese-women.html
Visit National-grid-news for Daily Updated Wedding Dresses Collection
