Two children missing from camp ground in Red River Gorge Kentucky

There is a massive search underway in Eastern Kentucky's Red River Gorge. Two children, five and seven years old, went missing early this morning or last night (the article wasn't quite clear as to when) from Koomer Ridge campground in Wolfe Co, KY.

Lexington Fire Sends 2 Crews To Search For Missing Children

There is rain that's coming later this afternoon, as well as a significant temperature drop behind the rain. Further, there are black bears in the area that are close to hibernation. Things are really stacking up against the rescue crews that are doing their best to find the children.

I just wanted to share this information so good thoughts and prayers can be sent to the crews out there looking for these kids. Time is certainly of the essence.

Edit for Update: The two children have been found as of 02:30 Friday afternoon after a 20+ hour search. They were found alive and well by rescue crews.

A 5 and 7 year old can't cover much ground alone, I suspect foul play if not found within a couple of hours.

a reply to: Nickn3

I wouldn't think they could cover that much ground out there either. I go hiking at the gorge quite a bit and it's rather rugged terrain. At the same time there are a lot of caves and sinkholes out there that can help people "disappear".

My heart goes out to those kids and their families. May they soon be found safe and sound .

ABC News has a much better written article as to the time frame of the disappearances.

The children wandered off Thursday afternoon at around 5-6PM. Crews have been searching since Thursday afternoon. So it's past 20 hours they've been missing.

Search in Kentucky's Red River Gorge Area for 2 Missing Boys

a reply to: EternalSolace

I'm in Kentucky and this is the first I've heard of this. Haven't even seen it on the local news. This is one reason I love ATS.

I hope they find them safe. I don't think bears are too much of a threat. They're here, but not in huge numbers. Still scary though. The gorge is rocky, steep and pretty wet in areas. I hope for the best for the children and their parents. I imagine both are terrified. Lexington firefighters are good so they've got the right people on the job. I'll keep watching for updates.

Thanks for posting this! S&F! Are you in Kentucky also?

Here's another article:

Link

They're so young.

a reply to: gemineye

I was pleased to see they're definitely using the right type of dogs. Nothing against German Shepherds as they're my favorite dog. But nothing can track like a bloodhound.

A 5 and 7 year old can cover a LOT of ground. While the surroundings may determine just how far, with the amount of time passed they could have covered miles at this point.

I feel so bad for these kids.

Back in high school I went camping with a couple of buddies and one was very inexperienced. He wandered off and got lost for 37 hours. He was 7 miles from our campsite when the Wildlife rangers found him, and this was in a rugged area of the Appalachian Trail. While a 5 and seven year old likely would not be able to do what he did, it is very likely they are a LONG way from the site at this point.

Hopefully they have been able to get some FLIR coverage in the air to see if there are warm bodies anywhere nearby. I would be more concerned with wildlife getting to them at this point. I believe a 5 and 7 year old have the smarts to not go over the edge of a cliff or something else similar, but I really hope they find them soon. 20+ hours for them to be missing is pushing their limits on being able to survive the elements alone.

I hadn't heard anything on our local news either. I hope they are found soon.

Both boys found alive and healthy, announced on news. That's all I heard, no specific details.

Is the area known for disappearances? Also hope they are found in good health.

a reply to: StoutBroux

That's definitely good news. They're holding a press conference now and I'm sure the linked articles will be updated soon to reflect.

20+ hours is definitely on the brink. I'm thankful for all the crews that gathered out there for the search. Awesome job!

nm

a reply to: StoutBroux

YAY!!!!! Thanks for posting! Such good news!

originally posted by: StoutBroux
Both boys found alive and healthy, announced on news. That's all I heard, no specific details.

Yay! Thank you for the update!