A dramatic rescue operation was carried out in west Michigan after a group of three, including a 9-year-old boy, were stranded for three days near a river. The group, which included two women, Sarah Vida and Jazmin Hock, had been on a river tubing trip when their tubes popped, leaving them stranded.

Rescue Efforts

Conservation officers from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources were involved in the rescue operation, which included searching the river and surrounding terrain. The group was eventually found about 7 miles from where they entered the river, with the rescuers tracking them from a tube next to the river, following footprints, broken twigs, and knocked-over grass.

The group had been living off bark and flowers, and drinking river water, during their time in the wilderness. They were found wearing just their swimming suits, with Hock’s legs almost entirely covered in deep, red cuts from scrapes after walking for days through the brush.

The rescuers handed over their own shirts to protect the group from bugs swarming their cuts and put medical gloves on some of their hands and feet. The group was taken to the hospital, where they were treated for dehydration and exhaustion.

Original reporting: Texarkana Gazette — read the source article.