Two boys' parents in New York were left alarmed when they didn't return back home after having gone out to build a snow fort, officials said. A plow operator had apparently dumped a lot of snow on the boys while clearing a parking lot, leaving them inadvertently trapped for several hours.
On Wednesday, the 9-year-old and 11-year old boys stepped outside in Newburgh, about 60 miles north of New York City, to possibly try and build a snow fort, according to the Associated Press. Just before midnight, the parents started getting worried when the pair hadn't returned home from playing.
After searching the area, the boys' parents contacted police authorities around 11:50 p.m. Wednesday.
Around 2 a.m. Thursday, the boys were found buried in a snow bank at a health center nearby after an officer saw a shovel half buried. Immediately grabbing the shovel and starting to dig, the officer spotted a small boot. Others joined in, some digging with bare hands, and the boys were found, according to Poughkeepsie Journal.
Both the 11-year-old and 9-year-old children, who were conscious and suffering from exposure, were taken to the hospital, officials said, adding that one child was hospitalized for observation.
Authorities said a snow plow operator had been clearing a parking lot by pushing snow over, and didn't realize that the boys were on the other side of the pile.
Newburgh had received more than a half-foot of snow on Wednesday.
