RAIPUR: An octogenarian woman, who accidentally slipped into a river in Chhatisgarh, miraculously survived after remaining in water for about four hours. She was rescued when a passerby noticed her floating unconsciously and sought emergency help. The incident happened in Durg district, about 45 km west of Raipur.
Suhaga Raga, 81, would often go to the bank of river Shivnath for routine work. On Wednesday, she was waiting at the river bank for her son to arrive when she accidentally slid into the water.
“It’s nothing less than a miracle. She did not drown and remained alive for four hours till her floating body drew the attention of someone who immediately called emergency service. Later, with the help of locals, the woman was rescued and rushed to the nearby hospital," said Vivek Shukla, Durg city superintendent of police.
Her condition was stated to be stable. She was immediately put on a machine to ensure adequate oxygen, the SP added.
After regaining consciousness, Suhaga said: "After I slipped into the water, I lost balance and my body tumbled into the watercourse. I desperately tried to come out and that was the last thing I remember”, she said.
Meanwhile, experts are wondering how the woman survived after being in the water for so long.
“It must be a situation of half-drowning when the water doesn’t replace the air in the respiratory tract. There then arises a chance that the person might not get drowned. Another possibility could be a low water-level and very slow river current”, said Dr. Rakesh Gupta, ENT specialist.