14 DAY TRIAL // A Chinese woman has survived being trapped in a deserted well for two weeks. She was scouring the area for medicinal herbs when she fell in, and she had no way of getting out on her own.
The fire department freed her from the well in Zhongfeng Village, Xiayi County in Henan Province. NBC News reports that the operation has been prompted by her husband.
Her family went out looking for her when she didn't come home on September 1. They started the search the next day but the well was in a remote location and they didn't get to her.
The enclosure is about one meter (3.3 feet) wide and four meters (13 feet) deep, Business Standard adds.
38-year-old Su Qixiu survived by eating the ears of corn that she had gathered before falling in. She drank rain water, which was gathered in the well. There were two rainfalls during the time she spent inside.
"I spent every day hoping that someone would walk by and rescue me. [...] I called out every day, and although there was no response, I did not give up," she describes.
She weighed 115 pounds (52 kg) before the incident, but doctors noticed a massive weight loss in two weeks. She emerged from the well a lot lighter, at just 80 pounds (36.3 kg).
The Xiayi County Fire Department commander describes finding her on her back, almost unable to speak. "Hungry! I'm hungry," she whispered during the rescue.
A fireman descended and brought Su out. Firefighter Chen Kui tried talking to her but she was unable to answer. However, she was responsive and she raised her hands.
Initial assessments revealed no external damage and she is currently stable. She was severely dehydrated and has not been released from the clinic yet. She is under medical supervision at Xiayi County Red Cross Hospital.