Autistic Australian boy rescued after 4 night ordeal
MELBOURNE, Australia -- An 11-year-old autistic boy was rescued Tuesday after four nights alone and lost in a dense Australian forest.
Luke Shambrook was spotted from a police helicopter before noon in the Fraser National Park in Victoria state 2 miles from his family's campground where he disappeared from on Friday morning, Police Commander Rick Nugent said.
"We are told that Luke is well, that he is exhausted, he's suffering hypothermia and he's also dehydrated," Nugent told reporters.
"In some ways it's a miracle," Nugent told reporters. "You will have all seen the terrain here, how thick it is, how cold it's been of a night. We've had rain most of this morning. To spot him now is an absolute relief. And the joy by all of us that he's been found is just hard to describe."
Paramedics were assessing him, Nugent said. His parents were overwhelmed, he said.
More than 120 searchers had combed the dense scrubland since Friday morning, with fears mounting that he could have drowned in a nearby lake.
Temperatures fell below 48 degrees Fahrenheit during the nights and there had been some rain.
Hopes were raised Monday when Luke's beanie was discovered far from the lake and near where the boy was ultimately found walking.