A hiker survived on two muesli bars, foraged berries and creek water for two weeks while lost on a remote Australian mountain range, police said on Wednesday.
Hadi Nazari, a 23-year-old medical student from Melbourne, went missing on Dec.26 when he separated from two hiking companions to take photos in the Kosciuszko National Park in the Snowy Mountains in New South Wales state.
He was rescued after he approached a group of hikers on Wednesday afternoon, telling them he was lost and thirsty, Police Insp. Josh Broadfoot said. Nazari had traveled more than 10 kilometres across steep and densely wooded terrain from where he was last seen.
A major land and air search had been launched the day Nazari went missing. More than 300 searchers were involved.
He was reunited with his two hiking friends on Wednesday before he was flown to a hospital for a medical assessment, Broadfoot said.
Nazari told police had had been "walking from morning until night," Broadfoot said. "He seems well: Amazing,” Broadfoot told reporters.
"This is the 14th day we’ve been looking for him. For him to come out and be in such good spirits and in such great condition, it’s incredible,” he added.
"There are some creeks up there and he said he’s been finding water where he could and foraging for food where he could, in terms of berries. At one point, he said he found a couple of muesli bars in a hut, but other than that - 14 days and that’s very little food,” Broadfoot said.
Ambulance Insp. Adam Mower said Nazari only needed treatment for dehydration. "He’s in remarkable condition for a person who’s been missing for so long,” Mower said.
The national park surrounds Mount Kosciuszko, which is Australia’s highest peak. But Australia is a relatively flat continent and the mountain is only 2,228 meters (7,310 feet) above sea level.
Weather conditions are mild during the current Southern Hemisphere summer. Searchers had been optimistic that Nazari would be found alive. He was an experienced hiker equipped with a tent. Searchers had found his campfire, camera and hiking poles in recent days, suggesting that he was continuing to walk.