23-year-old hiker found after surviving for 2 weeks in Australian mountain range

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Australian hiker found alive 2 weeks after getting lost in remote mountain range

A hiker survived on two muesli bars, foraged berries and creek water for two weeks while lost on a remote Australian mountain range, police said on Wednesday. Credit: New South Wales Rural Fire Service via AP

A 23-year-old medical student who was missing in a remote Australian mountain range for two weeks has been located.

Hadi Nazari from Melbourne went missing on Dec. 26, 2024, when he separated from two hiking companions to take photos in the Kosciuszko National Park in the Snowy Mountains in New South Wales state, the Associated Press reports. 

He survived on two muesli bars, foraged berries and creek water, police said on Wednesday.

His rescue came after he approached a group of hikers on Wednesday afternoon, telling them he was lost and thirsty, Police Inspector Josh Broadfoot said.

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Aerial footage shows rescuers with Hadi Nazari, who had been missing for two weeks after going hiking. (New South Wales Rural Fire Service via AP)

“This is the fourteenth day we’ve been looking for him and for him to come out and be in such good spirits and in such great condition, it’s incredible,” Broadfoot said, according to Reuters, adding that Nazari was in “really good spirits.”

The hiker had traveled more than six miles across steep and densely wooded terrain from where he was last seen. More than 300 people had searched for him in the national park that is home to the 7,310-foot Mount Kosciuszko. 

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Hadi Nazari, a 23-year-old medical student from Melbourne, can be seen hugging friends before being taken for medical evaluation after being rescued on Jan. 8, 2025. (New South Wales Rural Fire Service via AP)

Nazari was reunited with his two hiking friends on Wednesday before he was flown to a hospital for a medical assessment, Broadfoot said. Video showed them in a deep embrace prior to his departure.

Weather conditions are mild during the current Southern Hemisphere summer.

Hadi Nazari, 23, can be seen surrounded by rescue crews after spending two weeks lost on a remote Australian mountain range. (New South Wales Rural Fire Service via AP)

Searchers had been optimistic that Nazari would be found alive. He was an experienced hiker equipped with a tent. Searchers had found his campfire, camera and hiking poles in recent days, suggesting that he was continuing to walk.

Ambulance Insp. Adam Mower said Nazari only needed treatment for dehydration.

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“He’s in remarkable condition for a person who’s been missing for so long,” Mower said.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report. 

Related Topics

• Australia
• World
• Camping-Hiking
• Great Outdoors
• Good News
• National Parks