A woman has survived 15 days trapped down a well in central China, state media have reported.

Su Qixiu, 38, fell into the 4m-deep (12ft) abandoned well in Zhongfeng Village in Henan province on 1 September, Xinhua news agency reported.

She survived by eating raw corn and drinking rainwater that fell into the well, Xinhua reported.

Firefighters rescued her on Monday afternoon, and she was now receiving medical care, reports said.

The well was surrounded by tall stalks of corn and hence hard to see, and the inside wall of the well too smooth to climb, the report said. Relatives searched for the missing woman but could not find her.

Ms Su was searching for medicinal herbs in the corn field when she fell in, local Henan newspaper Dahe Daily reported.

As she fell she grabbed onto some corn stalks. While the stalks did not stop her fall, some ears of corn fell into the well with her, it said.

"There was nothing [in the well], [so I] ate a bit of raw corn and called for help every day," Ms Su told the newspaper.

"I spent every day hoping that someone would walk by and rescue me. I called out every day, and although there was no response, I did not give up," it quoted her as saying.

Stable condition

On 16 September, a villager harvesting corn heard her cries and called the fire brigade, Dahe Daily reported.

Her husband Li Qunming told reporters that Ms Su had lost considerable weight in her ordeal.

"She was originally 115lb (52kg), now she's so thin I'm afraid she may not even weigh 80lb (36kg)," he said.

"Although Su did not have any obvious injuries, she still could not speak or eat. Function of her internal organs has not recovered, but she is in stable condition and receiving fluids," Xinhua said.

In July, five people died after falling into a well in southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, state media said.

One farmer fell into the well in Longya village, followed by four people who tried to save him but also fell in.