A Nepalese man rescued after spending over three days trapped beneath a hotel destroyed by Saturday's devastating earthquake said he drank his own urine to stay alive, the Associated Press reported.
Rishi Khanal is now recovering at a hospital after French rescuers pulled him Tuesday from the rubble of a collapsed hotel in the capital Kathmandu. The magnitude 7.8 earthquake killed over 5,000 people and wounded thousands more.
The 27-year-old said he finished eating lunch and went upstairs when all of a sudden the ground shook and the building began to crumble. He was struck by a piece of stone and trapped with his foot crushed under the debris.
Trapped and surrounded by dead bodies, Khanal knew his situation was bleak.
"I had some hope but by yesterday I'd given up. My nails went all white and my lips cracked,"Khanal told the AP.
"I was sure no one was coming for me. I was certain I was going to die."
Khanal said he banged on the surrounding rubble in the hopes that someone would hear.
"There was no sound going out, or coming in. I kept banging against the rubble and finally someone responded and came to help. I hadn't eaten or had anything to drink so I drank my own urine," he told the AP.
It took the team of French rescuers hours to pull Khanal from the rubble, bringing his time spent in torment to 82 hours.
"It feels good. I am thankful," Khanal said at the hospital.
