Aug. 1: Tapati Chowdhury, 62, slipped and fell into the raging Damodar on Saturday evening and swam for almost 12 hours to live and tell the tale.

Some men in a mechanised boat spotted Chowdhury in the Mundeswari waters in Hooghly district on Sunday morning - more than 60km from the area in Burdwan where she fell into the Damodar - and rescued her.

When she was hauled on to the boat, Chowdhury, a teacher at a Sishu Shiksha Kendra in Burdwan, started bleeding from the nose.

"At times, I felt I could see the faint outline of riverbanks as I struggled against the turbulent water," she said. "I survived because I could swim."

Chowdhury, who lives in Burdwan, said she had a habit of seeing the Damodar in spate during the monsoon.

"On Saturday evening, I couldn't resist myself and reached the banks to see the overflowing river.

"I was having an ice cream standing on the bank when suddenly the soil under my feet gave away and I fell into the water. I could hear people shouting but none dared to jump into the raging water.

"Within moments, I was swept away and I could barely see the bank."

Chowdhury said the undercurrent of the swollen river was so strong that she got dragged under the water many times. "But I was saved because I could swim. I learnt swimming as a kid and I applied all my training that night.

"I didn't know where the current would take me. So, I decided to stay alive and keep afloat at any cost."

The elderly woman said thrice she felt her fight would end when she saw the faint outline of riverbanks and big trees.

"I tried to reach the trees but got swept away. At times, I saw some lights but the more I tried to reach them, the further I got swept away."

She said she lost track of time as it started pouring but she ensured she remained awake and afloat.

"I faintly remember some men throwing a fishing net on me to stop me from floating away.

"They pulled me up on to their boat. I was bleeding from the nose. They took me to a house nearby where I was given warm milk and clothes.

"The people there told me that I had been rescued from the Mundeswari river.

"I gave them the address and phone number of my family members. I never thought I would see my family again. They came in the afternoon to take me back home. Fortune favoured me."