Rescuers have discovered Sam Woodhead, 18, after he was feared dead in the outback. Sam left the remote Upshot Station for a run three days ago and is believed to have lost his bearings, drinking the one litre of water he carried with him within the first hour.
He was spotted by helicopter six miles from the station, and was picked up still conscious. It is thought that he survived through drinking his contact lens solution, since there was no source of water for miles at this time of year.
“Usually, by the third day, you’re lucky if you find someone alive,” William Morris, commander of the local emergency services told The Daily Telegraph. “All the creeks are dry at the moment. That country out there is very unforgiving. There are snakes and wild pigs and dingoes – if you’re weak and lying down, they will get you. We were all saying, ‘we have to find him today. We have to find him today’.”
Woodhead has been flown to the nearest hospital at Longreach, some 400 miles from the Queensland Coast – underlining just how remote this area really is.
