Doctors credit their survival to two key factors: a pre-camp wilderness safety drill that taught them to stay dry, stay together, and stay quiet, and their ingenious method of collecting rainwater using plastic wrappers shaped into a V to catch runoff, even wringing water from wet shirts into their mouths.

Though suffering from insect bites, dehydration, and minor scratches, all three girls were stable. Rescuers say the girls stayed calm, repeating that thinking of their mothers gave them strength and that believing in one another kept them going. The nation is celebrating them as symbols of courage and hope, with hashtags like #HollowTreeHeroes and #3StrongGirls spreading rapidly, church bells ringing, and one official declaring, “They saved each other. We will never forget these girls.”