GUNMA (TR) – A 56-year-old woman has miraculously been found alive eight days after being swept away by a sudden flash flood while gorge climbing in the town of Minakami earlier this month, reports TV Asahi (Aug. 20).
The woman was discovered by a local angler sitting on a mountain forest road in Minakami. Though severely weakened and suffering from a fractured right heel, her injuries were not life-threatening. She was immediately transported to a local hospital for treatment.
The terrifying ordeal began on the afternoon of August 9. Shortly after 4:00 p.m., emergency services received a frantic 110 call from a group of hikers. “Our friend was washed away by a flash flood while gorge climbing, and her whereabouts are unknown,” the caller stated.
Police say the woman was scaling a stream along the Naramata River with three friends when a sudden, violent surge of water caught her, separating her from the group.
Takahiro Kinoshita, a management official for the upper Tone River, noted that the sudden torrent was no accident. “Thunderstorms had been forecasted for the Naramata River basin that day, and our radar confirmed rain,” he said, indicating that heavy rainfall upstream likely triggered the flash flood.
Following an extensive eight-day search by police and fire departments, the woman was finally located on the morning of the eighth day.
“I was washed ashore”
Recounting her harrowing week in the wilderness, the woman explained how she stayed alive. “I was washed ashore, and I wandered through the mountains looking for my companions or a trail down,” she said. “I managed to stay alive by eating the food I had brought with me. I eventually found a forest road and was walking down when I was found.”
Locals were astounded by her resilience, noting the inherent dangers of the rugged Minakami terrain.
“This area is heavily populated by bears,” a nearby resident told reporters. “The fact that she managed to survive out there for so long… it can only be described as a miracle.”
