A 17-year-old Australian boy who went missing during a camping trip has been found alive after surviving six days in rugged bushland, enduring freezing nights with only two towels for warmth and a bag of chicken chips for food.
The teenager, identified only as William, disappeared last Friday while camping with a friend in a remote area approximately 180 kilometres east of Melbourne in the Australian state of Victoria, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).
He was located early Thursday morning by a police helicopter, which spotted him sleeping in a dry riverbed following an extensive search involving police officers, rescue teams, helicopters, divers, tracking dogs and dozens of volunteers.
William was subsequently reunited with his family, bringing an end to a six-day search that had raised growing concerns for his safety.
According to police, the teenager spent several days walking through extremely rugged and rocky terrain before falling down a steep embankment into a riverbed two days before his rescue.
Unable to continue travelling, he remained in the riverbed for the final two days, sleeping and waiting for rescuers to find him.
Despite the harsh conditions, William managed to survive by using two towels as makeshift blankets during freezing nights and carefully rationing a family-sized bag of chicken-flavoured chips.
His mother, Elizabeth Barkley, expressed astonishment and relief at her son’s survival, saying he had emerged from the ordeal in remarkably good condition.
“Except for a bit of sunburn and scratches … his leg’s a bit sore from the scratches, he’s in fighting spirit and I just can’t believe how well he handled being out there for so long,” she said.
The search operation had mobilised considerable resources, with more than 80 volunteers joining police and emergency personnel each day to scour the dense bushland.
Specialist teams used helicopters, police dogs and divers to search the difficult terrain as efforts to locate the missing teenager continued throughout the week.
The discovery brought relief to William’s family and the volunteers who had spent days searching for him.
Despite suffering scratches, sunburn and soreness in his leg, the teenager was reported to be in good spirits following his rescue.
His survival after nearly a week in the Australian wilderness highlighted both his resilience and the sustained efforts of the emergency services and volunteers involved in the search.