National

Search continues for 7-year-old girl missing from Yamanashi Prefecture camp site

Kyodo

KOFU, YAMANASHI PREF. – Police and rescuers on Tuesday continued to search for a 7-year-old girl who went missing three days ago at a mountain-side campsite in Yamanashi Prefecture.

Misaki Ogura, a first grader from Narita, Chiba Prefecture, arrived at the site in the village of Doshi on Saturday, in a group of about 30 people including her mother and sister.

The elementary school student was seen eating snacks near a tent at around 3:40 p.m. but went missing after she followed other children heading for another spot, according to police.

Some 60 people and a rescue dog joined the effort from Tuesday morning, expanding the search area after a previous sweep around a nearby river ended fruitlessly. The search team cut down tall grass and used a drone equipped with a sensor capable of detecting body heat but could not find her.

Following a request from the village, about 150 Self-Defense Forces members will join the effort Wednesday, while they plan to also check inside nearby lodges as soon as owners approve.

Ogura was wearing jeans and a black long-sleeved shirt at the time she went missing, according to the police.

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