Five children have been rescued after getting lost in a storm drain in New York City, according to reports from local authorities.
In audio released by firefighters, 911 dispatchers tried to pinpoint the exact location of the children and then asked them to yell when rescuers are near. “Now scream as loud as you can,” an emergency operator told them.
The five boys, ages 11 and 12, walked into a storm drain on Staten Island around 6 p.m. Tuesday, fire department officials said at a news conference Wednesday.
According to authorities, the children walked almost a quarter of a mile and then called 911 when they couldn’t find their way back. “We’re stuck in the sewer,” one of the boys told the dispatcher.
A second dispatcher claimed to be familiar with the area and tried to determine exactly where the children are by asking them questions about their location.
When the sirens were heard, the dispatcher asked the children to yell. A short time later, a lifeguard was heard saying that they are very close to them and then, he warned that they had already been taken out of the sewer.
Firefighters said the children were in the tunnel for about an hour. The children and a firefighter were taken to a hospital for examination, but neither had significant injuries, authorities said.
“It’s amazing that the cell phone worked in the tunnel,” Fire Department Chief John Hodgens told reporters. “That was a key component for us to find them.”
