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Japanese Hiker Lost In Nepal Scurvies Eating Plants For 13 Days
BBC NEWS, ASIA BUSINESS
June 10, 2011: a Japanese hiker got lost in Nepal's mountains has told journalists how she has survived for almost two weeks eating plants and praying. Makiko Iwafuchi said she strayed from the main trekking path on May 25 while hiking near Gosainkunda lake: north of Kathmandu.
The 49-year-old Makiko Iwafuchi from Tokyo walked for days looking for other people before taking shelter. Search teams could not find her. Local police and soldiers began a search a day after she went missing but found no trace of her.
Local villagers found her in a small cave 13 days later. "When I heard the people, the sound, of course it felt like a miracle, I praised God and I praised all the people," she said.
Ms Iwafuchi said she had taken a short stroll from her hotel when she got lost, just 500m (1,600ft) from the trail. "For two days, I didn't move. I stayed in a small cave. I thought about the food I would like to eat when I got back," she told reporters in Kathmandu. She then walked for days, taking shelter in small caves and under rocks, covering herself with leaves. "I ate leaves, bamboo shoots and drank a lot of water." "I prayed if I survived, I would change. I would be kind to people and more generous," she said. "From now on, I won't trek alone. I've learned a lesson from this experience."
