Woman rescued from cellar is recovering

AMSTETTEN, Austria, June 11 (UPI) -- Austrian doctors say Kerstin Fritzl, who was imprisoned in a basement with her mother and siblings since birth, is recovering successfully.

Fritzl, 19, who was put into an artificial coma when she was hospitalized in April for organ failure, is now able to walk and speak, officials said Wednesday.

The 19-year-old's father, Josef Fritzl, 73, is accused of imprisoning her mother -- his daughter -- Elisabeth, 43, in the family cellar for 24 years while he repeatedly raped her and fathered seven of her children, one of which died. He is waiting in jail for his trial to begin, CNN reported.

Police learned of the alleged abuse after medical workers became suspicious when Kerstin was brought to the hospital for treatment of the failure of several major organs.

Kerstin and two male siblings, ages 18 and 5, allegedly were secretly imprisoned since birth in a cellar, while three other siblings were allowed to live in the upper level of the home, the report said.