Woman Survives Nine Days In Arizona Wilderness

Ann Rodgers went out to visit her grandchildren when she got lost in an Arizona forest, surviving nine days before being found.

Grandmother Rescued After Nine DaysA woman survived for nine days on pond water and plants after getting lost in a forest, officials have said.Ann Rodgers, 72, had been travelling with her dog from Tucson, Arizona, to Phoenix on 31 March.She had been planning to visit her grandchildren but she got lost in the White Mountains and her hybrid vehicle ran out of petrol and electricity.After a few days, she had run out of the emergency food and water she kept in her car so resorted to desperate measures.She told Tucson TV station KOLD: "I was eating desert plants."My dog was too - diving into clovers and finding all the places that were easiest to go."

Ann Rodgers is rescued from an Arizona forest

Ms Rodgers's car was found three days after she became lost and her dog was found on 9 April.

But rescue crews struggled to find her until a flight crew spotted a "help" signal made of sticks and rocks on the ground.

Ms Rodgers's message to her rescuers

She was found nearby on the Fort Apache Reservation.

Ms Rodgers said that after she got on the rescue helicopter, she had sat down and cried.

She was taken to hospital but later released

Authorities say she was suffering from exposure but was otherwise well and able to get on the helicopter with little help.

A spokesman for the Department of Public Safety said it was unclear how Ms Rodgers had become lost in the eastern part of the state - the drive from Tucson to Phoenix is straight along Interstate 10, which does not run through the part of the state where she was eventually found.

The rescue comes after three men were rescued from a Micronesian island after searchers spotted their "help" message spelled out with palm fronds.

They were rescued two days after their boat capsized.