A 23-year-old medical student who disappeared in the remote Australian mountain range he has been located for two weeks.
Hadi Nazari from Melbourne disappeared on December 26, 2024, when he became separated from two hiking companions to take photographs in Kosciuszko National Park in the Snowy Mountains in the state of New South Wales, reports the Associated Press.
He survived on two muesli bars, berries and water from a stream, police said 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 he went 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 good condition, it’s unbelievable,” Broadfoot said, according to Reuters, adding that Nazari was in “really good spirits.”
The mountaineer was traveling more than six miles over steep and densely wooded terrain from where he was last seen. More than 300 people 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 January 8, 2025. (New South Wales Rural Fire Service via AP)
Nazari was reunited with his two hiking friends on Wednesday before being taken to a hospital for medical evaluation, Broadfoot said. The video showed them in a deep embrace before he left.
Weather conditions are mild during the current summer in the southern hemisphere.
Hadi Nazari, 23, can be seen surrounded by rescue teams after he spent two weeks lost in a remote Australian mountain range. (New South Wales Rural Fire Service via AP)
Researchers were optimistic that Nazari would be found alive. He was an experienced hiker equipped with a tent. Searchers found his campfire, camera and hiking poles in recent days, suggesting he had continued walking.
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.
