Eight-year-old rescued in state park survived for two days by 'eating snow'

A missing eight-year-old boy who had survived for two days in a state park by eating snow has been found sheltering under a log, police have said.

Michigan State police announced the news after Nante Niemi went missing on Saturday afternoon while gathering firewood for his family’s campsite in northwest Michigan’s Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park.

Nante's disappearance set off a sprawling search and rescue effort.

More than 150 state and local police personnel scoured the remote and hilly terrain by foot and by air and water, police said, noting that several roads are still impassable due to deep snow.

Family friend Eli Talsma describes reuniting with eight-year-old Nante Niemi

They added that Nante purposely walked around during the day to create tracks once he realised people were looking for him.

But the boy was finally found in good health on Monday afternoon by search party volunteers about two miles from the campsite, and has been reunited with family.

Eli Talsma, a friend of Nante's who was among the rescue group that found him, recalled the moment he heard members of the search party calling out that they had found him.

“As soon as I heard that, I grabbed my bag that was on the ground and I started sprinting over to him,” Mr Talsma said. “I just ran over to him and I gave him the biggest hug."

"I was so relieved once I saw him.”

The eight-year-old is from Hurley, Wisconsin, the Hurley School District told CNN.

“Although our emotions are very raw at this time, we want to acknowledge the extreme outpouring of love and support we received over the past few days,” the school district said in a Facebook post after he was found.

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