An 8-year-old boy who went missing at Arizona’s Lava River Cave on Wednesday night has been found alive and is currently being evaluated.
Tzion Maron was reported missing around 6 p.m. local time on Wednesday after he became separated from his family at the cave, which is located near Flagstaff, as stated by the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office.
Officials reported that the boy was last seen near the entrance of the cave before he went missing.
When his family could not locate him in the immediate area, they reported him missing to the sheriff’s office.
Patrol deputies, along with several search and rescue teams, searched the area throughout the night and morning until the child was found on Thursday afternoon. Authorities noted that it had been raining overnight in the area.
The boy is described as just over 4 feet tall, weighing about 50 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a gray shirt with blue stripes, navy blue pants, and sneakers.
The Lava River Cave, a mile-long lava tube cave, was formed approximately 700,000 years ago, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service.
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Even in summer, the cave’s temperature can drop to 42 degrees, with the possibility of ice inside, according to the Forest Service. The cave’s rocks are described as “sharp and slippery,” and visitors are advised to bring two or three sources of light as it can be “very dark one mile from the nearest light source,” per the USDA.
