AUSTRIA:KERSTIN FRITZL, the 19-year-old who was born in a dungeon prison and held captive there by her father, has woken from a seven-week coma, the hospital where she is being treated confirmed yesterday.
"I can confirm that she has woken up," said Klaus Schwertner, spokesman for the clinic in Amstetten in Lower Austria.
He said Kerstin had emerged from the artificially induced coma several days ago, but "still required intensive medical and therapeutic care". Reports that she had been reunited with her mother and the rest of her family remained unconfirmed yesterday.
Kerstin, who was held in the underground prison by Josef Fritzl (73), along with her mother Elisabeth (42), and two brothers Stefan and Felix, was released on April 19th with a serious illness.
Under pressure from his distraught daughter, Fritzl took her to hospital where suspicious doctors raised the alarm. Her release was the catalyst that led to the rest of the family being freed from their prison at the end of April and to the arrest of Fritzl.
Kerstin was said to have suffered from breathing difficulties and stomach cramps, probably due to being starved of fresh air, light and an adequate diet. She almost died.
Doctors, who started waking her from her coma last month, stressed that an important part of Kerstin's recovery would be her reunion with the rest of her family.
Elisabeth and her children are being looked after in the Amstetten-Mauer psychiatric clinic and being taught to deal with normal life as well as getting used to sunlight and human contact. - (Guardian service)