A father and three children who got lost during a Christmas tree-cutting trip in California were found alive after spending three days in heavy snow.
Christopher Dominguez (18) second from left, and his father, Frederick Dominguez, second from right, are helped to an ambulance after being rescued.
Frederick Dominguez and his children survived in the northern Californian mountains by huddling in a culvert for warmth.
A California police helicopter spotted Mr Dominguez on top of a small bridge and landed nearby, sinking into two feet of snow.
The family had taken shelter in a culvert beneath the bridge and marked "help" in the snow.
Daughter Alexis (14) and son Joshua (12) were ferried by the helicopter first, and it then went to fetch their father and brother.
Mr Dominguez (38) smiled at cheering family and friends as he and son Christopher (18) emerged from the helicopter a short time later.
Agencies