Photo: Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park
An eight-year-old boy is safe after surviving for two days alone in the remote wilderness in Porcupine Mountain Wilderness State Park in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
Nante Niemi vanished on Saturday (May 6) while camping with his family. He was gathering firewood around 1 p.m. but never returned to his campsite.
The Michigan State Police led a massive search effort with over 150 people searching a 40-square mile area on land, air, and water.
"The terrain is very remote and hilly with a lot of standing water due to the time of the year," Michigan State Police said in a press release. "Several seasonal roads are still impassable because of snow depth."
After two days, one of the rescue workers found the boy hiding under a log about two miles from his campsite.
"A volunteer searching found him under/near a log, where'd he been the entire time, about two miles from the campsite. He appears to be in good health!" the Michigan State Police's 8th District wrote on Twitter.
Officials said the boy survived by using branches and leaves for warmth and eating clean snow for hydration.
"A number of you have asked how Nante survived in the woods. Lieutenant Wickstrom says the boy told them he covered up with branches and leaves for warmth and also blanketed the log he was under. He didn't have any food but ate clean snow for hydration," the department added in a follow-up tweet.