A 56-year-old Canadian woman was discovered alive and well in her van, after being stuck for 49 days on a forest service road in Nevada.
Hunters discovered Rita Chretien in Humboldt National Forest on Friday.
Spokesman for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said Chretien survived on water and travel snacks and that Chretien’s condition was much better than expected, given how long she had been there.
“She survived on water and melted snow, and in the vehicle—of course they were traveling—they had small amounts of what has been referred to as trail mix,” Cpl. Dan Moskaluk said in a video on the website of Chretien’s hometown newspaper, Penticton Western News.
Husband Still Missing
Chretien’s husband, Albert Chretien, 59, is still missing. The couple was traveling to a trade show in Las Vegas when they drove onto a logging road in the National Forest where their van got stuck in the mud. After three days, Albert decided to walk back to the main highway and has not been seen since, the Canadian Broadcasting Company (CBC) reported.
The Chretiens’ son, Raymond, said that finding his mother was “the biggest miracle that we could have ever have asked for,” adding that the family has not given up hope finding his father.
“We’re still praying for another one [miracle] and the search continues for my father. But in the meantime, we are rejoicing that we’re here today and we can spend Mother’s Day with our mother,” Raymond told reporters at the hospital in Idaho where Rita is recovering, CBC reported.
A doctor at the hospital said that although she was in remarkably good condition, Rita would not have been able to stay alive much longer. “She was definitely somewhat getting toward the end before she was found,” Dr. James Westberry told CBC reporters.
Chretien reportedly lost between 20-30 pounds during the ordeal. Raymond said his mother had had some sort of premonition that something would happen on Friday, but did not know if she would die or be rescued, according to the report.