A 17-year-old boy was found alive in Australian bushland on Thursday after spending six days missing near Walhalla, in the state of Victoria. A police helicopter crew spotted William beside a creek, where he was lying on a flat rock, and took him to safety.
William had gone camping with a teenage friend when he disappeared on November 6, police said. He had walked a short distance from the campsite to collect more equipment and did not return. The town of Walhalla is about 185 kilometres east of Melbourne.
Acting Police Inspector Jason Benbow said William had travelled over steep terrain before becoming trapped by the surrounding slopes near the creek, about two kilometres from the campsite. He had spent the last two days there. When he heard the helicopter, William woke and gave the crew a thumbs-up before being winched aboard, Benbow said.
Boy taken to hospital for monitoring
Police said William was in good spirits and mostly in good health. He was taken to hospital to be monitored after the rescue. Video from the helicopter showed him wearing shorts and boots; he had used towels as blankets.
More than 100 emergency services personnel and volunteers took part in the search. William was reunited with his mother after the helicopter landed. “I’m just over the moon that he’s alive,” she told reporters, adding jokingly that he was “grounded for life.”
The rescue was confirmed by The Associated Press and ABC News. Police identified the teenager only as William.