Life is unpredictable, and we can never be certain what the next moment holds. Things may seem perfectly normal, yet in a millisecond everything can turn disastrous. No matter how strong or well-prepared we are, there is always a chance of ending up in a situation that feels impossible to escape. With that in mind, here is a list of 10 people who survived seemingly impossible tragedies.

1 Anna Bagenholm survived the lowest body temperature ever recorded—56.7 °F. She had been skiing when she fell into a frozen stream and was trapped for 80 minutes. Although she was clinically dead, she made a full recovery and now works at the same hospital that saved her life.

Anna Bagenholm was studying to become an orthopedic surgeon at Narvik Hospital. On 27 May 1999 she went skiing in the nearby Kjolen Mountains with two colleagues. While descending, she lost control of her skis and broke through the ice of a frozen stream, becoming submerged in frigid water.

Her colleagues tried to pull her out but failed, and by the time additional help arrived she had been underwater for more than 80 minutes. Her core temperature had dropped to 56.7 °F, and she had no pulse.

At the University Hospital, the electrocardiogram showed a flat line, yet Dr. Mads Gilbert refused to declare her dead until her body was rewarmed. In the operating theatre, a team of 100 doctors and nurses worked in shifts for nine hours before restoring her heartbeat. After 35 days on a ventilator she awoke, initially paralyzed from the neck down, but by October 1999 she had recovered and returned to work. (1, 2)

2 Anthony Borges, a teenager, was shot five times while holding a classroom door shut with his body. He saved 20 classmates and, after 13 surgeries, made a complete recovery.

On 14 February 2018, a gunman opened fire with a semi-automatic rifle at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, killing 17 people and injuring 17 more. Fifteen-year-old Anthony Borges slammed his classroom door shut and braced it with his body. Hit by five bullets that tore through his lungs, legs, and abdomen, he still prevented the shooter from entering, protecting 20 students inside.

Borges spent two months in the hospital and underwent 13 operations before fully recovering. (1, 2)

3 Romain Grosjean crashed at 137 mph on the opening lap of the Bahrain Grand Prix. His car erupted in flames, yet he climbed out after 20 seconds with only minor burns.

On 29 November 2020, Haas F1 driver Romain Grosjean clipped Daniil Kvyat’s car and speared into barriers at 137 mph, splitting his car in two and igniting a fireball. Trapped for 20 seconds, the 34-year-old Frenchman escaped with burns to his hands and ankle.

Key to his survival were modern F1 safety innovations: the titanium “halo” that shielded his head and a chassis design that separates on high-G impacts to dissipate energy—measured at roughly 50 G in Grosjean’s crash. (1, 2)

4 A 15-year-old boy survived a five-and-a-half-hour flight in sub-zero temperatures and without oxygen while hiding in the landing gear of a Boeing 767.

On 20 April 2014, Santa Clara teen Yahya Abdi ran away to see his mother in an Ethiopian refugee camp. After scaling fences at Mineta San Jose International Airport, he squeezed into the wheel well of a Hawaiian Airlines Boeing 767. During the 38,000-foot flight to Maui, temperatures plummeted to −80 °F and oxygen was scarce.

Doctors believe the extreme cold induced a state of suspended animation, allowing him to survive more than five hours without oxygen. Medics examined him in Kahului and found no serious injuries. (1, 2)

5 Juliane Koepcke, 17, was sucked from an airplane struck by lightning, fell two miles into the Amazon, then survived 11 days alone before villagers rescued her.

Juliane Koepcke stayed in Lima for her 23 December 1971 graduation before boarding LANSA 508 on Christmas Eve. Mid-flight, lightning tore the plane apart two miles above the jungle. Still strapped to her seat, she crash-landed with only a broken collarbone and cuts.

Living on a small bag of sweets, she followed a stream until she reached a hut. After 11 days, local fishermen found her and took her to safety. Later, she guided rescuers to the crash site, where she learned her mother had perished. (source)