Newburgh police say two boys are recovering after being buried in snow by a plow Wednesday.

Officials say 9-year-old Elijah Martinez and 11-year-old Jason RIvera were building a snow bank in a parking lot on Kenny Court, just across the street from their family home, when a plow operator unknowingly pushed snow over them, trapping them.

"I was gasping for air and I punched up toward the hole and it left a little space," said Elijah Martinez.

Family, friends, police officers, and a police dog went door-to-door in the neighborhood to search for the boys.

During a news conference on Friday, Newburgh Police Officer Brandon Rola said while digging near small footprints in the snow, he came across a child's boot.

"It was just at that point, frantic, trying to dig these children out, he said. "You're talking about a seven to eight-foot high snow pile, taller than me. It was wet, packed ice, snow."

The two cousins were found conscious and suffering from exposure.

They are now recovering at Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla.

Doctors say they will likely be released sometime tomorrow.