A young boy, five years old, who went missing in a forest inhabited by bears has been found safe and well after nearly three days alone in the unforgiving wilderness. Toma-Alexandru Zerestea, also known as Alex, disappeared on Monday afternoon in the Rusc area near Sebișu de Jos, Romania, while his father was fixing an electric fence. The child wandered into the woods during a moment of distraction and couldn’t be located.
A massive search operation involving hundreds of rescue personnel, including police, gendarmes, firefighters, mountain rescuers, volunteers, and soldiers equipped with search dogs, drones, and thermal imaging gear, was launched across the challenging mountainous terrain. The area is known for its large carnivores, and recent heavy rain and freezing temperatures added to the risks.
The boy was spotted around 1 pm on Wednesday by a Black Hawk helicopter operated by the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ General Inspectorate of Aviation, approximately 1.5 miles from where he went missing. Search-and-rescue operator Mihail Soare was lowered on a trolley to reach the conscious child, who was sheltering among the trees. Soare stayed with Alex, keeping him warm until ground teams arrived, as per NeedToKnow reports.
After being found, Alex was taken to the Sibiu Clinical Paediatric Hospital, where medical staff confirmed his stable condition despite exhaustion and exposure, with no serious injuries reported. His father expressed immense happiness upon being reunited with his son. Authorities in Romania hailed the outcome as a miracle considering the forest’s dangers. Police have initiated a routine inquiry into the incident, with initial findings suggesting the boy simply wandered off on his own.
