Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/missing-girl-survives-blizzard-hugs-dog/

In what can only be described as a miracle, a 10-year-old girl has safely returned home after getting lost in a freezing blizzard overnight.

According to USA Today, local reports said the girl, later identified was Vika Z, went missing from her school around 1:00 pm in Uglegorks during an intense blizzard.

Because of the low visibility and frigid temperatures, locals quickly gathered a group to search for her and began walking through two-foot snowdrifts hoping to find some clue as to where the missing girl had gone.

As day turned to night, things began to look grim. Searchers continued to look through the night, their fingers freezing inside their gloves.

According to USA Today, search volunteer Anatoly Ivanov said, “We were looking all night, nothing was visible at all, our hands in mittens were so cold, it was difficult to straighten our fingers. By morning, we started to think she would not be found alive. How can you survive such a nightmare outside?”

But the next day, 18 hours after she’d gone missing in the blizzard, a local reported a tip to police as to where the girl might be. Authorities quickly rushed to the sight and found the young girl sitting on a mattress near a shelter, clinging to a stray dog.

The girl told them that she was “hugging a fluffy dog for warmth.”

Vika was taken to the hospital but only suffered minor frostbite. She was able to return home that same day and hopes to find the dog that kept her alive all night to properly thank it.

Source: The Animal Rescue Site Blog