Heartwarming moment girl, 10, is reunited with her beloved teddy bear Rufus, which was left behind as she fled the Fort Lauderdale shooting with her family

  • Courtney Gelinas, 10, of Ontario, Canada, was returning from a Caribbean cruise
  • She and her family ran out onto the tarmac when the shooting broke out
  • Rufus, a gift from her grandfather before he died, was left behind in the chaos
  • Family escaped unscathed, but the 10-year-old couldn't eat or sleep
  • Mother turned to Twitter, and Broward Sheriff's Office stepped in to help
  • Gelinas smiled and hugged the bear  during heartwarming reunion on Tuesday
  • About 23,000 pieces of luggage were abandoned inside the airport and authorities are still working to return the items

By Jessica Chia and Clemence Michallon For Dailymail.com

Published: 01:59 EST, 12 January 2017 | Updated: 04:51 EST, 12 January 2017

A 10-year-old girl was reunited with her beloved teddy bear after the stuffed animal had been lost in the chaos of the Fort Lauderdale airport shooting last week.

Courtney Gelinas of Ontario, Canada, was returning from a Caribbean cruise with her family when shots broke out in the attack that left five dead and six others wounded.

The girl and her family hid under a row of seats and eventually ran onto the tarmac, leaving Rufus, a gift from her grandfather before he passed away, among the 23,000 other pieces of luggage abandoned inside the airport.

The family escaped to safety, but her mother Kim Lariviere later issued a desperate plea on Twitter to get her daughter's furry friend back.

The youngster, who had not spent a single night before the shooting without the bear, was distraught.

The Broward Sheriff's Office stepped in to help and Courtney smiled and quickly hugged the stuffed animal during the heartwarming reunion on Tuesday.

Courtney Gelinas, 10, was reunited with her beloved teddy bear after the stuffed animal had been lost in the chaos of the Fort Lauderdale airport shooting last week

Her mother Kim Lariviere issued a desperate plea on Twitter since Gelinas, who had not spent a single night before the shooting without the bear, was distraught without Rufus

Lariviere, along with her husband and two children, was traveling to Detroit, Michigan, after a cruise in the Caribbean when the shooting broke out.

The mother told ABC: 'A rush of people screaming for their lives came rushing like a tsunami toward us.

'We threw our children underneath the seats and laid on top of them,' she added.

They eventually ran onto the tarmac and found refuge at a rental car facility after climbing through a hole in the fence, she told ABC.

Despite escaping the shooting unscathed, the 10-year-old was distraught.

'Rufus has never been apart from my daughter and unfortunately she wasn't able to grab him as we ran out. 

'She hasn't slept in three nights. She has barely eaten,' Lariviere told the Miami Herald when the bear was still missing.

Lariviere shared this photo of Rufus, a gift from the girl's grandfather before he passed away

Lariviere (pictured holding a photo of Rufus) said her daughter hadn't slept for three nights in a row and was barely eating after losing her beloved teddy bear

The family (pictured) ran out of the airport when shots rang out in Terminal 2, then came back inside. But they had to evacuate again after a rumor emerged about a second shooter

Lariviere called the airport lost-and-found several times before she turned to Twitter and wrote: 'Looking for Rufus from Terminal 2 D8. Crying daughter cannot sleep. #FLLshooting help!' 

The Broward Sheriff's Office retweeted her message, and several well-wishers offered to buy the girl a new bear before airport officials located the stuffed animal on Tuesday morning.

Gelinas quickly hugged Rufus during the reunion, and the family embraced before the 10-year-old told reporters: 'It feels super good...I'm happy to have him back.'

The Broward Sheriff's Office retweeted the mother's plea along with a picture of Rufus, asking for the public's help in locating the lost bear

Airport officials located Rufus on Tuesday morning and told Lariviere they would be in touch. Employees have been working around the clock to sort out more than 20,000 items

Lariviere announced on Twitter that Rufus had been found and thanked those who had shared the bear's picture. Her 10-year-old daughter, Courtney Gelinas, has had Rufus all her life

More than 20,000 items of luggage (some are pictured Saturday) were left at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport after Friday's shooting

Airport officials said employees were working around the clock to return displaced items to their owners.

Some items were being returned through the airlines, while other luggage was being handled by the airport and baggage company employees.   

Pictures of items without any identification, such as carry-on bags, laptops, cell phones and other electronic devices, will be posted online. 

Owners will be able to flag up their items and give officials their contact information to reclaim them. Each owner will have to answer a series of questions to properly identify the items.

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