Nepal earthquake survivor trapped for three days tells how he drank his own urine to stay alive

Rishi Khanal, 27, was surrounded by dead bodies in a collapsed hotel

Rishi Khanal, 27, was rescued by a French team on Tuesday (Reuters)

A Nepal earthquake survivor rescued after more than three days trapped in a collapsed building surrounded by dead bodies has told how he drank his own urine to stay alive.

Rishi Khanal, 27, had just finished lunch at a hotel in Kathmandu when the 7.8 magnitude quake struck the capital on Saturday.

He said he was on the second floor of the seven-storey building when it started to shake and crumble piece by piece.

Mr Khanal was struck by falling masonry and trapped with his foot crushed under rubble.

“I had some hope but by yesterday I'd given up,” he said after being rescued by Nepali and French workers.

“My nails went all white and my lips cracked...I was sure no one was coming for me. I was certain I was going to die.”

Speaking to the Associated Press from his hospital bed on Wednesday, surrounded by his family, Mr Khanal told of the horror of being surrounded by three dead bodies and the terrible smell as they started to decompose.

“There was no sound going out, or coming in,” he said.

“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.”

His frantic banging alerted rescuers that he was alive and teams took more than five hours to drill down to him as he shouted for help.

By the time he was pulled out, he had been trapped among the dead for 82 hours.

“It feels good. I am thankful,” he said, before being taken away for surgery.

Akhilesh Shrestha, a doctor who treated him, said it seemed Mr Khanal had survived “by sheer willpower”.

The death toll has passed 5,000 but could still rise as more bodies are pulled from the rubble.

More than 10,000 people were also injured as the earthquake hit Nepal, India, Tibet and Bangladesh.

About 200 people blocked traffic in Kathmandu today to protest the slow pace of aid delivery, leading to minor scuffles with police.

Many of the countless people who saw their homes destroyed are sleeping out in the open with poor access to food, water and sanitation.

Additional reporting by agencies