Missing Teen Snowmobilers Found After Frigid Night In Maine
MEXICO, Maine (CBS/AP) — Authorities say two 15-year-old Rhode Island boys spent the night outside in below-zero temperatures after they got lost while snowmobiling in Maine.
The Maine Warden Service said Ty Howard-Gotto and Jonah May were found unharmed Tuesday morning after staying in a small shelter.
Wardens say they got lost after leaving the town of Mexico at 7:30 p.m. Monday for their grandfather's camp in nearby Andover — then their snowmobile became stuck.
The boys tried to soak a sock in gasoline to get a fire going without success. After walking a "considerable distance," they found a go-cart in a lakeside shed with fresh gas in it, the warden said.
After making a fire on the shore with the gas, they slept in the go-cart for the night. The temperature dipped to 9 degrees below zero — and the wind chill made it feel like 25 below.
Upon waking up in the morning and taking a walk, they were found by a passer-by, who brought them to their grandfather.
It wasn't immediately clear how many hours the boys spent outside.
"These young men were very lucky," Corp. John MacDonald of the Maine Warden Service said.
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