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3 Days After They Were Abducted by South American Pirates, Family Makes Dramatic Escape

The family miraculously survived with just insect bites and scratches after trekking through the Amazon jungle to safety.

The California family kidnapped by pirates on the Amazon River has been spotted for the first time since their dramatic rescue.

Emily Harteau was seen limping after she, her husband, Adam, and their 3- and 7-year-old daughters escaped the river pirates in Brazil. 

On Wednesday, they were discovered in the Amazon River delta alive, and spent the night in a hospital in the city of Breves, near where they were found. 

Suffering only insect bites and scratches, the family had been missing since Sunday.

The family was headed to Breves when the pirates boarded a ferry they were on and forced it toward the city of Porto dos Dias, Brazilian police say. 

They escaped three days later and trekked through the dense Amazon jungle to safety.

The Harteaus have been on a never-ending adventure for the last five years and was exploring South America in their Volkswagen van. Their daughter, Sierra, was actually born during the trip.

They often posted videos of their travels on Facebook.