8-year-old girl survives stranded on peak

• Tweet

HIMEJI, Japan, Jan. 7 (UPI) -- An 8-year-old Japanese girl was stranded overnight on a mountain huddling against the cold with her grandfather, who died in a fall, officials said.

Rescuers found Eiichi Minami, 73, dead on Mount Myojin, and his granddaughter, Yui Fujio, with minor injuries to her face Sunday, The Mainichi Shimbun reported.

Minami was a trustee of a local community group and was climbing the 2,191-foot peak to collect money from the offertory box at the top, the Hyogo Prefectural Police's Himeji station said.

He and Yui left for the climb Saturday morning, but got lost, Minami's wife said, after receiving a call from her husband that afternoon.

Yui said her grandfather died after sliding down a slope while it was still light out, leading police to believe the accident took place Saturday afternoon.

Yui huddled against her grandfather, covering herself with a towel to keep herself warm throughout the night, The Mainichi Shimbun reported. She was able to use her grandfather's cell phone to call police, and rescue workers found her Sunday morning.