101-Year-Old Man Rescued In Nepal — Funchu Tamang Survived Two Earthquakes In A Century

Farmer Funchu Tamang already survived one earthquake. Now, the 101-year-old man can say he lived through another; days after it toppled buildings and killed over 7,000 people in Nepal, he was pulled – alive – from the rubble.

The man was in his garden when the tremors began in his village – about 40 miles from Nepal’s capital Katmandu – sending pieces of his home crashing to the ground, the Straits-Times reported.

“I was in the garden… when the stone hit me, I thought this is it,” he told reporters.

Lucky for him, that wasn’t it – the 101-year-old survived with only a few minor injuries to his chest, leg, and hand and is stable. Tamang was rescued Saturday from the shattered remains of his home, though accounts also suggest he was found outside, according to USA Today.

That last quake Tamang weathered struck 80 years ago.

The amazing rescue of the 101-year-old man came as police uncovered three other survivors, all women, on Sunday in one of the country’s most devastated areas – Sindhupalchowk, Agence France Press added. No one knows how long the women were trapped.

Sadly, these three survivors may be the last. The quake struck one week ago, killing thousands and igniting an earthquake on Mount Everest. Emphasizing that grim fact was a discovery over the weekend of 51 bodies on the peak – six foreigners and 45 Nepalese; they were found on a popular trekking route, USA Today added.

None of the dead have been identified and 200 more villagers and trekkers are missing in that area, said the Times of India.

The death toll will likely continue to rise, as relief teams finally reach remote Himalayan villages that officials believe have been destroyed; in two of the worst hit regions, 90 percent of the stone and mud homes have been decimated.

The U.S. military has provided aircraft and personnel for the relief effort. Aid is sorely needed, but its arrival in Nepal has been hampered by customs inspections and the UN is urging customs officials to let go of its normal rules in light of the crisis.

Meanwhile, the delivery of much-needed food – of which there is plenty – to remote areas have been delayed by a shortage of trucks and drivers.

The death toll now stands at 7,250; 14,000 people have been hurt.

[Photo Courtesy YouTube Screengrab]