A Seville, Ohio family that went missing when they headed to the Florida Everglades by airboat Thursday, was found Friday safe and alive.
Parents Scott and Carrie Schreck, along with their three young sons between the ages of four and nine were reported missing Thursday afternoon, when the area they went to was suddenly struck by strong thunderstorms.
According to Examiner.com, spokesperson for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Jorge Pino said they lost contact with the family at 1 p.m. on Thursday, and a tracker on the airboat last dinged around 3 p.m.
The Schreck family borrowed the airboat from a friend in western Miami-Dade county, but when the five did not return by nightfall, their next-of-kin got worried and notified authorities.
They immediately sent out a search group that included helicopters, airplanes and more than six airboats, to traverse the entirety of the 1,000 square mile Everglades National Park.
"It was like searching for a needle in a haystack," he said.
Searchers found the family once they heard them blowing whistles and an air horn.
"We weren't able to see them, we were only able to hear them," Pino continued to tell the Associated Press.
Father, Scott, is a seasoned outdoorsman who says he merely took an incorrect turn and got stuck.
"Took a right and couldn't get the boat turned around," the 44-year-old father told reporters. "This is the first time I've been out here, so obviously I'm a novice on this body of water. Not the thing to do."
Once they were extracted from the dense vegetation that had mercilessly trapped them, paramedics checked familial vitals as a precaution. Although wet, cold and tired, the family is reported to be in fine health.
"They are in good condition," Pino said.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
