Four children who were reported missing Saturday have been found safe, according to the Citrus County Sheriff's Office.

  • Children missing from campground found safe
  • Fishermen found the children on Chassahowitza River
  • Multiple agencies assisted in the search

The children, ranging in age from 7 to 9, went missing from the Chassahowitza Campground in Homosassa.

They were found by nearby fishermen on the Chassahowitza River, deputies said. Three of the children showed signs of hypothermia.

The children had arrived at the campground with their families from Tampa earlier in the day, deputies said. They were exploring the campsite when they went missing.

Deputies searched for over two hours before the children were found around 7:15 p.m.

"I want to thank the wonderful people of this great community for all of their support during this ordeal," said Sheriff Mike Prendergast in Twitter post. "We are very blessed to have such dedicated first responders along with volunteers who came out to help search for these children."

In addition to the Sheriff's Office, Aviation, K-9, Volunteer Bloodhound units and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission assisted in the search.