Sonies Aawal was the miracle baby of the horrific Nepal earthquake which happened exactly ten years ago – killing 9,000 people. Now he is a bright, cheeky ten-year-old schoolboy who loves football and dreams of one day visiting England.
Ten years ago he was pictured on the front page of the Daily Mirror as we exclusively told the story of his incredible escape. It was the one story of hope in a day of horror. Now, a decade later the Mirror has found Sonies again. Back in 2015 five-month-old Sonies was trapped under piles of rubble when the giant quake struck.
His two cousins were killed and everyone was convinced Sonies had died but somehow he survived, trapped under a fallen cupboard, and was pulled to safety after 22 hours. Incredibly the family has finally managed to rebuild the house in which he nearly died and are now living in it again. Sonies, of course, can remember nothing of it but said: “My mum has told me about the earthquake ten years ago – I dream of visiting England one day. I love football – especially Harry Kane. My favourite team is Manchester City.’ His mum Rasmila, 45, smiles as she looks at her son now growing up so quickly. She never forgets how fortunate she was on the day that horror that came to Nepal.
She said: ‘I can never forget that day ever – in my life. It reminds me so much pain and hopelessness. But now I am happy with my two kids. But my nieces both died that day. My brother-in-law and his wife lost both their daughters, their only children. That makes me realise just how lucky I am every day.’ Rasmila revealed that after many years they have finally managed to move back to the home that collapsed. It took seven years of sheer dogged hard work and savings but they were finally able to return in 2022.
She said: ‘It’s been three years since were were able to move back to our home. After the earthquake we used to used to live near Khwopa college which is in Bhaktapur. We rented a house and had to stay renting for almost six years but we finally rebuilt our house by getting loans from relatives and a bank.’ Rasmila vividly remembers being found by the Mirror in the days shortly after the quake. Then one year later we returned to see them battling to rebuild their lives but living in poverty. ‘We remember you coming to see us very well,’ said Rasmila. ‘We remember you finding us after Sonies was saved as a baby and we remember you coming back one year later.’
In the following years Rasmila has been working as a maid in different houses. She is a dedicated, hardworking woman but her work is seasonal. She said: ‘Sometimes people call me to work but other times I remain unemployed. It’s difficult my husband is working a driver for a company that produces bricks. Though he works very hard still it is difficult to run the family as we have to separate some money to pay back our debts as well.’
Sonies was only saved when neighbours heard faint cries from under the rubble and called in the army. A team of soldiers eventually managed to free him from the wreckage. The cupboard had somehow stopped rubble falling on to him. At the time Rasmila sobbed: ‘It is a miracle, I was so certain he was dead. I am just so happy, I cannot believe it. And I believe my son is the sign of hope for the future, for all of Nepal. I prayed to every God I could and it looks like my prayers were answered.’ Sonies’ older sister Soniya who was looking after him at the time is now studying at college. Rasmila said: ‘She takes care of the family .. She supports her brother in his studies. She also supports me in all the household chores. She has understood the struggle of her parents . She wants to support her family in future.’
The earthquake, which measured 7.8 on the Richter scale, hit Nepal, Bangladesh, India and China. In addition to the 9,000 killed, more than 21,000 people were injured and an estimated 3.5 million left homeless. The quake also triggered two avalanches, one on Mount Everest which killed 21 people, making it the deadliest day in the history of the mountain. Hundreds of millions of pounds of aid – much of it from the UK – flooded into the country, but Rasmila and husband Shyam, 44, didn’t see any of it.
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