MEXICO — A pair of 8-year-old girls were found late Wednesday night after a seven hour search involving multiple agencies.

The girls were reported found just after 9 p.m. They were said to be soaking wet, although not seriously injured.

Rescue crews were being called to examine the girls, who were reported to be on Drinketh Lane in Rumford.

School officials said earlier in the day that both girls are in state custody and that they have been living in Rumford.

The search for the pair began seven hours earlier and grew in intensity as the hours went by.

Investigators said the girls ran into the woods near Mountain Valley Community School at 58 Highland Terrace about 2:15 p.m., just as buses were arriving to take students home.

The search involved a number of agencies, including the state Warden Service, Mexico Fire Department, state police and Oxford County Sheriff’s Office deputies.

As darkness fell, police and game wardens used tracking dogs in hopes of picking up the scent of the missing girls. They reportedly used drones, as well.

The story of the missing girls went viral across social media as the early searches proved fruitless. Several people who live in the area said they were driving through their own neighborhoods to help with the search.

Others said they had been following reports for hours, hoping the girls would be found.

One of the girls’ relatives also weighed in with a Facebook post, providing information about her missing sister.

“It’s cold and rainy,” she wrote, “please help us get them home.”

It was not immediately clear how the girls were located. Police were continuing to investigate later Wednesday night.