Teen survives in Australian bush for nine weeks emerging half blind, covered in leeches and 84lbs lighter

National Post Staff | Jan 28, 2013 7:53 PM ET

SuppliedPolice released this image of Matthew Allen, 18, who disappeared from the Westleigh area in the Australian outback in November, 2012

 

An 18-year-old man has astonished emergency personnel by surviving for almost nine weeks in dense Australian bush during a record-breaking heatwave.

Matthew Allen, who has been missing from his home since November 27, was found covered in leeches, bites from mosquitoes and gangrene was affecting his feet and legs. Police said he had lost almost 84lbs (38kgs) — about half his body weight.

“He was in such a poor state,” Acting Det.-Insp. Glyn Baker told the Sydney Morning Herald. “He was completely exhausted, completely dehydrated, suffered significant weight loss, somewhere up to 50%. He was suffering from partial blindness and he had leeches all over him.”

Mr. Allen disappeared from his home in Westleigh, north of Sydney, without his phone or extra clothing. Some reports said he may have set out on a survival mission, although The Daily Telegraph reported that Mr. Allen, who has mental health issues, wanted to run away from home.

“Hikers often walk along tracks in the area and we think he might have stayed hidden from them,” Mr Baker said.

“He was not living under any shelter and was exposed to the full conditions since reported being missing.”

In that time, Sydney temperatures have hit more than 45C.

Mr. Allen was found only two kilometres away from his home, but the area where he was discovered is dense bush.

Mr. Allen, an accountancy student, was able to tell rescuers he survived by drinking water from a creek that was almost dry. He may also have eaten some fish and frogs.

He was found by two experienced bushwalkers on Saturday afternoon as they took a shortcut home. Although he was only 200 metres from the backs of homes, the bush was so dense that Mr. Allen had to be taken out by helicopter.

Rescue officials said they were amazed he survived for so long.

“The common rule of thumb in our industry is you can live for three minutes without air, three hours without shelter in extreme environments, three days without water and, depending on who you talk to, three weeks without food,” Glen Nash, operations director for the Australian School of Mountaineering told The Australian newspaper.

 

“Some people would say three months even. It’s OK to have the water, but the human body needs minerals and salts and if you don’t get those other elements you’re going to be pretty sick. You’re going to potentially even be dead.”

Detective Senior Constable Ben Wrigley told the Australian Associated Press, “Anyone who is missing for that length of time in those kind of conditions — you wouldn’t expect to see them again.

“I was amazed and very happy that everything turned out they way that it happened. I couldn’t believe it.”

National Post