A 17-year-old boy has been found alive after spending six days in a forested and rugged area about 180 km east of Melbourne, in the state of Victoria, Australia. William, whose surname was not disclosed, disappeared last Friday while he was camping with a group of friends. He was last seen around 4pm on November 6 in the area of Stoney Creek Road, Walhalla East, but after leaving he never returned. After the alarm raised by his friends, the search machine was set in motion, and the turning point came after almost a week of apprehension.
Found alive after six days in the woods
The teenager, who has autism, was spotted by a police helicopter on the morning of Thursday 12 November, as he was huddled on a rock near a stream. A video released by the Australian media shows the very moment in which William, with his skin burned by the sun, notices the propellers rotating above him, a sound synonymous with salvation.
Rescuers pulled William to safety with a winch, gave him a thermal blanket and a bottle of water, before taking him to hospital for a check-up. Despite the very cold night temperatures, the boy managed to survive six days by warming himself with towels, eating a bag of chips and drinking water from a stream. “He’s fine, everything seems to be fine, he’s in excellent health – confirmed the boy’s mother, Elizabeth Barkley, to 9News -. He only has a few scratches, but he’s fine. He stayed there waiting. Now he’ll never leave the house again.”
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“He didn’t even think they were looking for him”
After finishing the chips he had with him in two days, the 17-year-old had lost hope, as Inspector Jason Benbow confirmed: “He didn’t even think they were looking for him, he had no idea how he was going to get out of there. It doesn’t always happen, but I’m sure he’ll have a story to tell us soon, and we can’t wait to hear it.”
To survive, the teenager put into practice a fundamental rule, that is, to remain in a still and clearly visible point while waiting for help: “He drank water from the stream – added Benbow -. He ate Smith’s chips, a family-sized pack, which ran out in two days. He fell from a cliff, he got many scratches and pain in his legs. He had a couple of towels with him to cover himself.”
As the inspector pointed out, the area where William was found had never been searched before and could not be explored on foot. The Victoria police also published images of the embrace between the 17-year-old and his mother on social media: “You made me feel shocked – the woman said to her son -. You’re grounded”.
“He was terrified,” Mrs Barkley later explained. “He said he felt cold, scared, hungry and thirsty. He hopes this will never happen again and is eager to get back to playing football.” The boy was taken to hospital for routine checks, but apart from some injuries and weight loss, his health conditions do not cause concern.