Rescuer: Teen hiking to safety after plane crash a 'miracle'

SEATTLE (AP) — A 16-year-old girl survived a small-plane crash in the rugged mountains of Washington state and hiked through thick forest to reach safety in what one official called "a miracle."

But she reported that her two step-grandparents died in the accident, Okanogan County Sheriff Frank Rogers said Tuesday.

Searchers planned to resume looking for the wreckage, and any sign of Leland and Sharon Bowman, three days after the aircraft went down.

Autumn Veatch said the plane crashed and caught fire after flying into a bank of clouds, according to authorities. She remained at the crash site for a day before deciding to hike down, eventually finding a trail and following it to the trailhead on a highway.

A motorist picked her up Monday and drove her to a store, where employees called for help.

Veatch has no life-threatening injuries but was dehydrated and suffering from a treatable muscle tissue breakdown caused by vigorous exercise without food or water, said Scott Graham, CEO of Three Rivers Hospital.

"It's a miracle, no question about it," Lt. Col. Jeffrey Lustick of the Civil Air Patrol told reporters, saying he has spent 30 years in search and rescue.

Her father, David Veatch, told reporters outside the hospital that his daughter was exhausted but doing remarkably well. She was able to joke with him about the survival shows they watched together on television, he said.

"She's just an amazing kid," David Veatch said. "There's more to her than she knows."

The Beech A-35 left Kalispell, Montana, on Saturday afternoon, heading for Lynden, Washington.