WASHINGTON: Rescuers in Washington praised a 10-year-old girl’s resourcefulness after she survived on her own for more than 24 hours in the harsh terrain of the Cascade mountains after becoming separated from her family.
CNN said that Shunghla Mashwani was with her extended family on Sunday in the Cle Elum River Valley when she became separated from the group as they crossed a pedestrian bridge over the river to eat lunch near the Cathedral Pass Trailhead, according to a Facebook post from the Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office. Kittitas County is located around 85 miles east of Seattle.
Girl’s family moved to United States
The girl and her family moved to the United States from Afghanistan two years ago and love spending time in the high backcountry because it reminds them of home, according to the sheriff’s office. According to the sheriff’s office, Shunghla told her family and rescuers that she became suddenly separated and alone when the family was returning to the footbridge and couldn’t find the bridge on her alone. When the family realized Shunghla hadn’t crossed the bridge with them, about 20 people in the group returned and began searching, according to the post.
The family had been looking for Shunghla for about two hours when an outsider offered to call the police from a satellite phone at their neighboring cabin around 2 p.m. Deputies, volunteer ground search teams, and crews from other law enforcement agencies swarmed on the scene. Drones, helicopters, and K9s were also used to help in the search for Shunghla. According to CNN, the sheriff’s office had the girl’s father record a message of reassurance in their native language, which was broadcasted throughout the search area. The message informed Shunghla that people were looking for her and attempting to help her.
