Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION
'Nothing short of a miracle' at how well missing woman fared
Nadia Monaco, missing since Wednesday morning, has been found alive and well. (WINNIPEG FREE PRESS)
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Search and rescue officials are astounded that a 66-year-old diabetic fared as well as she did for two days in the cold, wet bush.
Nadia Monaco of Winnipeg was found this morning alive and well in the Belair Provincial Forest north of Stead, only a half -kilometre where she became separated from a group picking mushrooms on Wednesday.
Monaco was described as "cold, a little dehydrated but otherwise in really good spirits." She had been missing for nearly 48 hours.
"When we met as a command staff this morning, our outlook was not positive," said Manitoba Fire Commissioner Chris Jones. "We were actually looking at this not...the outcome not being what it was today. When we heard the news I can tell you there was a lot of silence in the command post. And we were all quite astonished with how well she fared."
RCMP spokesman Const. Miles Hiebert was similarly impressed. "(It’s) nothing short of a miracle, as far as I’m concerned," he told the Free Press this morning.
Monaco did not have insulin with her and she had no food other than the mushrooms she had been picking and perhaps some berries. She drank water from puddles on the ground. "She had a basket of mushrooms and the basket was empty when we found her," Jones said.
Monaco, who seems to have good survivor skills, had also found shelter in an abandoned shed and wrapped herself in paper bound by wire to keep herself warm.
"In this case she did everything she possibly could to keep warm, to keep kind of out of the rain. And she kept herself fed and hydrated. It’s a very good example of, if you have a bit of skills in the wilderness, how you can overcome pretty severe conditions," Jones said.
About 70 professionals and volunteers had been combing the woods for the past two days. This morning, their numbers had grown to about 100. There were also two canine search units deployed.
"They (searchers) were shouting for her and she called back to them and (they) found her," Hiebert said.
Monaco was transported by ambulance to hospital in Beausejour for examination. "We had the family members at the scene and had her meet up with them before she left (for hospital)," said Jones.
He had special praise for the volunteers, part of a network of 1,200 people available across the province. "Their work cannot go unrecognized," Jones said. "It’s volunteer, they’re not paid to do this, and they’re very compassionate about what they do."
larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca
History
Updated on Friday, September 3, 2010 at 9:05 AM CDT:
Added RCMP comments, detail.
Updated on Friday, September 3, 2010 at 10:48 AM CDT:
Adds details, quotations
Updated on Friday, September 3, 2010 at 1:11 PM CDT:
updated with new information and new headline
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