Life is unpredictable and often challenging. For some people, facing seemingly insurmountable obstacles becomes a reality that only serves to strengthen their willpower and determination. In this article, we focus on 12 individuals who have survived the impossible. Through sheer strength, courage, and resilience, they overcame life-threatening situations that would have defeated most others. These incredible stories of survival will inspire you to push through any difficult circumstances that you may face in your life. From those who defied death in accidents to those who battled with fatal illnesses, these are the true-life stories of survival that prove there is hope even in the darkest moments.
Survival stories have always been a source of inspiration for the human race. In the midst of tragedies, disasters, and freak accidents, there is always a glimmer of hope. These exceptional individuals face impossible challenges, but somehow manage to cling onto life in the face of adversity. While these stories sound like the plot of a blockbuster movie, they are actually true accounts of how some people have managed to overcome incredible odds and survive unthinkable situations.
1. María Belón (Survived Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami)
On Christmas Eve 2004, María Belón, her husband Enrique, and their three sons, Lucas, Simón, and Tomás, went to Khao Lak, Thailand for a family vacation. Two days later, the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami struck the country and the surrounding areas on December 26. The earthquake hit a 9.1 on the Richter scale, destroying Sumatra, Indonesia, and the surrounding coastal countries, notably Sri Lanka and Thailand. The earthquake caused a massive tsunami that was one of the deadliest disasters in recent history, costing the lives of roughly 227,898 people. Belón and her family barely survived the incident. In the immediate aftermath, Belón suffered near-fatal injuries and had to undergo emergency surgery to save her life. The critically acclaimed 2012 film, The Impossible, tells the true story of Belón’s family and stars Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor, and Tom Holland.
2. Tsutomu Yamaguchi (Survived Two Atomic Bombings Days Apart)
During the summer of 1945, the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, forcing Japan to surrender and bringing an end to World War II. Both bombings killed between 129,000 and 226,000 people, with many dying immediately, and others over time from radiation poisoning and other health issues. While the bombings targeted cities with military facilities, they mainly comprised of civilians. However, some people survived the bombings. Even more remarkably, around 70 people survived both explosions, notably Tsutomu Yamaguchi. On August 6, 1945, Nagasaki native Yamaguchi visited Hiroshima for business. At 8:15 am, the U.S. military dropped the Little Boy atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Yamaguchi suffered severe burns all over his body, but he was lucky to survive the first ordeal. On August 9, Yamaguchi was back at work in Nagasaki, and early in the morning, the United States dropped the second atomic bomb, Fat Man, on Nagasaki. Once again, the bombing caused immense damage and killed thousands of people. Yamaguchi somehow survived the second nuclear bomb as well. While he suffered further injuries, he lived well into old age, dying from stomach cancer in 2010.
3. Reshma Begum (Survived for Two Weeks Under Collapsed Rana Plaza)
On April 24, 2013, 19-year-old Reshma Begum skipped breakfast because she was running late for work. She grabbed a couple of packs of biscuits to get through the day before she set off for work. At the time, Begum lived in the Rana Plaza in Savar Upazila of Dhaka District, Bangladesh. The eight-story building included apartments, banks, shops, and garment factories. As Begum was leaving, the building began to shake and suddenly collapsed, becoming one of the deadliest building accidents in recent memory, with roughly 1,135 people dying. During the collapse, Begum made it to the second floor before she became trapped under the rubble. She ended up in a small cavity with enough air to breathe and room to move. Luckily Begum had the packs of biscuits with her, so she had something to eat. Workers randomly dropped water bottles into every hole they could find, and Begum managed to find several of these bottles. She survived on the biscuits and water for 17 days until she drew the rescue workers’ attention. The entire country watched her astounding rescue live on television, and her story brought hope to the nation.
4. Aron Ralston (Amputated Own Arm To Escape a Boulder)
Mountaineer Aron Ralston has a story that inspires all of us. On April 3, 2003, Ralston went canyoneering alone in Bluejohn Canyon in Wayne County, Utah. As Ralston descended a canyon, he accidentally set a boulder free. The dislodged boulder crushed his hand and pinned his arm against the canyon wall. Since he didn’t tell anyone about his hiking plans, nobody knew where Ralson was, and he remained trapped by the boulder for several days. Ralston slowly drank his remaining water over the period of five days as he tried to free himself from the boulder. He became dehydrated and delirious. With no options left, Ralston amputated his arm to free himself from the boulder. He then rappelled out of the canyon with one arm and hiked until he could find help. After the incident, Ralston gained a small amount of fame after appearing on several talk shows. He also wrote a book about his experience, “Between a Rock and a Hard Place,” inspiring the feature film “127 Hours.”
5. Juliane Koepcke (Survived a Plane Crash)
When German-Peruvian mammalogist Juliane Koepcke was a teenager, she joined her parents in setting up a research station in the Amazon rainforest in Peru. While her time there was cut short, she learned vital survival skills that would save her life. On December 24, 1971, 17-year-old Koepcke and her mother were flying on LANSA Flight 508 when lightning struck the plane. As the aircraft broke apart mid-air, Koepcke remained strapped into her chair, still attached to two other seats. She fell 10,000 feet, crashing into the Amazon rainforest. She suffered significant injuries, including a broken collarbone, an eye injury, and a deep cut on her arm. After finding a fisherman’s camp, she gave herself first aid treatment and even poured gasoline into the wound to force the maggots out. After 11 grueling days, a fisherman rescued Koepcke, who would eventually return to the area to identify her mother’s body. Koepcke made a full recovery and graduated from the University of Kiel, taking over the research station in Peru after her father’s death in 2000.
6. Ewa Wiśnierska (Survived a Paragliding Incident)
World champion Ewa Wiśnierska took advantage of every opportunity to train for the 2007 paragliding world championships. One of her training sessions quickly turned into a fight for survival when on February 14, 2007, Wiśnierska went paragliding near Manilla, New South Wales, in Australia. Wiśnierska ignored warnings of severe thunderstorms in the area and went ahead with her training. During the session, a cumulonimbus cloud caused heavy rain, pulling Wiśnierska into the cloud. Once inside, temperatures were extremely low, with heavy amounts of hail. Additionally, the cloud lifted Wiśnierska more than 32,000 feet into the air. She was unable to escape the cloud and passed out, but thankfully woke up an hour later still in the air. Wiśnierska regained her composure and landed safely three and a half hours after she had taken off.
7. Harrison Odjegba Okene (Survived 60 Hours Underwater)
On May 26, 2013, the Nigerian tugboat, Jascon-4, capsized at a Chevron platform in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Nigeria. The boat landed on the seafloor upside down, killing 11 crew members. Somehow the cook, Harrison Okene, survived the accident. In pitch-black darkness, Okene found his way to the engineer’s office and created a platform above the water from a mattress and other objects. Using the platform, Okene survived for three days due to the sufficient air in the room despite being underwater. On the third day, the South African divers arrived and found Okene, who had survived 60 hours underwater. The entire rescue was captured on video and made headlines around the world.
In conclusion, these tales of improbable survival remind us of our own strength, resilience, and determination. They teach us that with a little luck, an unyielding attitude, and the strength of the human spirit, we can overcome even the most unimaginable adversity. The people on this list are proof-positive that we all have the power to survive the impossible.
