Rescuers find California dad, kids missing after camping trip

A Northern California man and his two young children have been found safe two days after they failed to return home from a family camping trip in the rugged Sierra Nevada mountains, authorities said on Friday.

Nicholas Vlahos, his 5-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter were discovered by rescuers around 8 p.m. local time on Thursday, the Sierra County Sheriff’s Office said.

The family was taken by helicopter to a camp near the town of Camptonville, about 85 miles northeast of Sacramento, local broadcaster KPIX reported.

Vlahos was last seen earlier in the week in western Sierra County and had intended to return home through what authorities said described as a remote and rugged portion of Sierra and Plumas Counties. The family was said to be in good health and carrying ample food and water supplies.

An Instagram account registered to a Nick Vlahos had as its most recent images photographs of children next to a river and a black Toyota pickup from a post stamped Friday, May 3.