He was feeding on two bars Lost hiker is discovered alive after two weeks
The case has been making headlines in Australia since Christmas: A student went missing in a national park and a huge search operation ensued. Now the young man has been found - he survived thanks in part to muesli bars.
08.01.2025, 20:31
09.01.2025, 08:06
dpa
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- A hiker has gone missing in an Australian national park after breaking away from his group to take photos.
- The case caused quite a stir in Australia. A large-scale search operation was unsuccessful for a long time.
- 13 days after his disappearance, the man, a 23-year-old student, was found alive by a group of hikers.
- According to his own statement, he had been eating only water and two muesli bars during this time.
A hiker who has been missing for almost two weeks in a huge mountain region in south-eastern Australia has been found alive. According to the police, the 23-year-old student appears to be in good physical and mental health.
According to his own statements, he had only eaten two muesli bars, which he had found in an abandoned hut.
"This is an incredible result, after 13 long days he has been found," reads a statement from police inspector Josh Broadfoot. Australian media are calling it a "miracle".
Finds gave hope
Around 300 emergency services had been tirelessly searching for the man since December 26. He had become separated from his two friends during a hike in Kosciuszko National Park in the Snowy Mountains to take photos.
They informed the authorities when he later failed to show up at an agreed meeting point at a campsite. "We never gave up hope of finding him and are overjoyed that we can return him safely to his family," Broadfoot emphasized.
Hiking poles and trash, which authorities believed belonged to the missing man, had been found near Kosciuszko Creek on New Year's Eve. On Sunday, search crews discovered camera equipment near a campfire site on the Geehi River. They convinced the emergency services not to give up hope.
Found by hikers
In the end, however, it was not the search teams who found the missing man near Blue Lake, but other hikers. The young man had shouted to them that he was lost in the bush and thirsty, a police spokesperson explained. The group then called the emergency services.
According to the police, the student is said to have kept himself alive by drinking water from streams. No further details of his struggle to survive in the wilderness were initially released.
The rescued man has since been examined by doctors and reunited with family members, who are "very, very happy" and have thanked the emergency services for their efforts.
Kosciuszko National Park in the Australian state of New South Wales is more than 6,700 square kilometers in size and is located around 350 kilometers southwest of the metropolis of Sydney. The park has a largely alpine climate and attracts hikers and skiers with its rugged mountain landscape.
