The source of the pool of water was unclear. Water may have trickled to the building’s basement, where Reshma was found, from recent rains and from water sprayed by rescuers. Firefighters had hosed down the area to extinguish a fire that erupted during a failed rescue attempt.

Gupta said the woman likely had some sort of access to food, although people have been known to survive a couple of weeks without it. He said it was “somewhat surprising” that Reshma would have been able to call out to rescuers, as “even that requires a fair amount of energy.”

Asked how long someone can survive without food or water, Gupta said, “We keep redefining that a bit.”