Two strangers in Indiana, US who lived just 1.5km away from each other got the shock of their lives when they discovered that they are half sisters.

35-year-old Nia Hayes had long known that her late father, Lonnie, had another daughter. However, when he passed away in 2012, her family could not find her. It took a mutual friend, Dave Barkes, to bring them together. Dave is Nia’s colleague at work and when he got back in touch with his old school friend, 42-year-old Lana Hayes, he realized that the two looked remarkably alike.

Dave linked them up through Facebook and the pair got talking on Tuesday, April 4. Within 24 hours, they met in person having realized that they shared the same father, yet they were living just a short distance from each other.

Speaking of the experience to a local reporter, Via said: “I feel like I’m looking at myself a little bit. We’re still getting used to it; we just keep looking at each other.”

Lana, who has one other half sister, was also excited: “I have no bad feelings at all. I’m just excited. My family has gotten a lot bigger. I’ve gone from one to seven siblings.”