A five-year-old boy who vanished in a bear-populated forest has been found alive and well after nearly three days alone in harsh wilderness.
Toma-Alexandru Zerestea, better known as Alex, disappeared on Monday afternoon (11 May).
He vanished in the Ruscă area on the outskirts of Sebeșu de Jos, Romania, while his father was repairing an electric fence.
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In a moment of inattention, the child wandered into the trees and could not be found.
Hundreds of rescuers – including police, gendarmes, firefighters, mountain rescuers, volunteers, soldiers, using search dogs, drones and thermal imaging – mounted an intensive operation across difficult mountainous terrain.
The area is known for large carnivores, with recent heavy rain and cold overnight temperatures adding to the risks.
At around 1pm yesterday (Wednesday, 13 May) the boy was located from a Black Hawk helicopter operated by the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ General Inspectorate of Aviation.
He was spotted approximately 1.5 miles from the disappearance site.
Mihail Soare, a search-and-rescue operator, was winched down on a trolley to reach the child, who was conscious and sheltering among trees.
Soare stayed with little Alex, keeping him warm until ground teams arrived, as reported by Need To Know.
The rescuer later said: “It is a very emotional moment, I did not think I would ever live something like this.
“I have two children of my own, the emotion was overwhelming.”
Alex was transported to the Sibiu Clinical Paediatric Hospital.
Doctors found him stable and in good overall condition despite exhaustion and exposure, with no serious injuries reported.
His father said he was “shaking with happiness” after the family was reunited.
Romanian authorities described the outcome as a miracle given the dangers of the Carpathian forest environment.
Police have opened a routine inquiry into the circumstances, but early indications point to the boy simply wandering off.
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