Missing girl found alive; presumably survived by drinking rain

By Kim Rahn

Hello sejeong. Welcome back. A middle school student, who was found Friday, 10 days after going missing on a mountain, is believed to have survived because of the continuous rain, which helped prevent her from becoming dehydrated, rescue workers said Sunday.

It also seems she went missing after she lost contact with her family on trails they were walking along.

A soldier and a search dog found Cho Eunnuri, 14, lying in bushes near the top of a mountain in Boeun, North Chungcheong Province, at around 2:40 p.m.

According to the soldier, he asked, "Are you Eunnuri?” and she replied, “Yes.”

After giving her water, the soldier carried her on his back for about an hour down the mountain to a point where an ambulance was waiting.

She had scratches on the arms and legs but was generally in fine condition.

Cho was found at a spot about 1.7 kilometers away from where she parted from her family while hiking. At the time she said she would go down from the area first as she was bothered by the insects there.

The rescue authorities suspect she went up again to meet the family but the two missed each other and she got lost.

They suspect she was able to drink the rainfall and this kept her from getting dehydrated, which helped her survive for the 10 days she was missing. During that time, it rained almost every day, which interfered with search operations but helped her survive.

“There was a valley close to her and it rained a lot, so we believe she was able to drink rainwater and the water from the valley,” said an officer from Sangdang Police Station in Cheongju.

They also believe the bushes helped prevent her from getting hypothermia.

They say her good physical strength may have also helped. Cho, although having intellectual disabilities, has been a swimmer and won a silver medal in a youth sports competition for the disabled last year.

The authorities will ask about her 10 days in the mountain after she is fully recovered physically.

“Cho's health, such as kidney function, has almost returned to normal and she is eating porridge. But she mainly sleeps due to extreme fatigue,” a doctor at Chungbuk National University Hospital said, Saturday. “She may be able to leave the hospital next week.”

During the 10-day search operation, nearly 5,800 police officers, soldiers, rescue workers and civil servants were mobilized, as well as drones and search dogs.