A hiker missing for almost two weeks in New South Wales, Australia, has been found alive, having survived on foraged berries and two muesli bars.
Medical student Hadi Nazari disappeared on Boxing Day after wandering off to take photos while hiking with his friends in Kosciuszko National Park in the Snowy Mountains region.
Hundreds of people, including Mr. Nazari’s friends and family, joined the search effort to find the 23-year-old.
He was found on Wednesday around 3:15 p.m. local time (04:15 GMT) by other hikers.
Mr Nazari had called the hikers and “told them he had gotten lost in the bush and was thirsty”, Superintendent Andrew Spliet told reporters.
After the hikers contacted emergency services, Mr Nazari was hoisted to the search command post by a helicopter. He was examined by emergency services on site and transported to hospital.
Mr Spliet said Mr Nazari was found healthy, alert, able to speak and suffered no significant injuries.
The two muesli bars, which Mr. Nazari had found in a mountain hut, were “pretty much all he had consumed over the past two weeks,” Mr. Spliet said, adding that the hiker had also found water from streams and gathered food. for the berries.
Mr Nazari’s family, who were seen hugging him at the research base camp on Wednesday, later confirmed to local media that he was fine. “This is the happiest day of our lives,” they told 9News.
Mr. Nazari was found near Blue Lake, about 10 km from the campsite where he was supposed to meet his friends on December 26.
“He’s come a long way in that time,” Spliet said, adding that police will “catch up with him” after he’s released from the hospital.
