VIAN, Okla. (KNWA) — Four missing children from Vian, Oklahoma were found after a nearly 12 hour search.
A helicopter crew spotted the kids around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday, about a mile away from where they were last seen Tuesday.
Tulsa Police found the kids from Sequoyah County right below a steep bluff near Tenkiller Dam.
They appeared to be safe, but extremely cold.
Sequoyah Co. Sheriff Larry Lane said their grandmother last saw them in her backyard around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday. The grandmother said she went to look for them around 3 p.m. and couldn’t find them. She called authorities right away.
Search and rescue crews worked the area all night searching for the kids, using drones and thermal imaging.
They were found in an area trapped between a body of water and the steep bluff. A couple of Sequoyah County deputies and a Cherokee Marshall climbed down the bluff and tried to find a way to get the kids out.
The volunteer fire department used a boat to ultimately rescue them.
The kids, ages five, six, seven and nine, were checked by EMS and are now home.