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Two boys trapped in a snow pile in upstate New York for more than seven hours say they heard their friends and family calling for them but couldn't answer loudly enough.

Eleven-year-old Elijah Martinez and 9-year-old Jason Rivera were outside building a snow fort near Elijah's house on Wednesday night when a plow operator clearing a parking lot unknowingly pushed snow over them. Early Thursday, a police officer searching for them saw a shovel half buried, started to dig and then saw a small boot. Rescuers joined in, some digging with their bare hands.

The boys were conscious and suffering from exposure. Police say they were buried in about 5 feet of snow.

The boys remain hospitalized. Their families say they'll have a full Thanksgiving dinner when they are discharged.