Boy aged eight survives two days in Michigan wilderness by eating snow

World

An eight-year-old boy lost in the remote woodlands of Michigan survived for two days by eating snow and hiding beneath a log for shelter.

 

Nante Niemi went missing on Saturday while camping with his family in the Porcupine Mountains state park.

 

He got lost while walking to gather firewood, sparking a 150-person search effort to rescue him.

 

On Monday he was found underneath his log “in good health”, about two miles from his camp.

 

“He had braved the elements by taking shelter under a log where he was ultimately found,” Michigan State Police said in a statement.

The boy told police he “ate clean snow for hydration”.

 

Soon after the alarm was raised on Saturday, his mother thanked people for their support but implored everyone to “please stay away it will make it harder to find him”.

 

State police said the terrain is “very remote and hilly with a lot of standing water due to the time of the year”. Several roads were impassable due to the amount of snow.

 

The team focused on a roughly 40 sq mile (100 sq km) area in the park, eventually finding the boy.

 

He has been reunited with his family, police said.