Story By: Ana Lacasa, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Central European News 

This four-year-old girl has been found alive after surviving five days alone in the Brazilian forest by eating fruit and drinking river water.

Ana Vitoria Soares Cardosa was reported as missing on 29th December 2019 in a rural area of the Rio Maniva community in northern Brazilian state of Para after she was last seen playing with her eight-year-old sister in a canoe.

After she went missing her family feared she had drowned as she did not know how to swim and they called the local fire service.

Three divers were called to help in the search and rescuer and local fire chief Rosivaldo Andrade told reporters: “We searched for her from 30th December to 1st January in the river. The information given by her relatives made us believe that she could have died and that she could have not gone to the forest. Fortunately, she was found.”

The tot was found on 2nd January by her cousin around two kilometres from where she had disappeared. Her mother Rosilete de Souza Soares told reporters she survived by “eating fruit and drinking from a stream”.

The mother added: “She was sitting on a trunk, but she was unable to walk. A cousin found her.”

She was taken to hospital in the town of Santana in the neighbouring state of Amapa where she remains but her life is not as risk, according to reports.

Andrade said that the firefighters involved in the case are helping the family by collecting clothes and food for the family of Ana Vitoria who has eight siblings.

The fire chief added: “Fortunately there were no dangerous animals in the area to attack, but this does not change the risk the forest poses, from cutting yourself, tripping, scrapes, the risk of the water, the cold, infections. She went through tremendous difficulty.”

The ViralTab page is created by and dedicated to professional, independent freelance journalists. It is a place for us to showcase our work. When our news is sold to our media partners, we will include the link here.