Melbourne, Nov 12: Victoria Police have released footage of the moment a missing 17-year-old was found alive after almost a week lost in bushland in Gippsland.
The teenager, named only as William, was on a camping trip with a friend around Cowwarr and Walhalla when he was reported missing on 6 November.
During an aerial search on 12 November, police spotted a tackle box in bushland about two kilometres east of Stoney Creek. When they zoomed in, they found William lying near a creek.
In the footage, William can be seen waving at the camera and pumping his fist, clearly relieved to have been found.
Flight officers winched him to safety and flew him to the command post, where he was reunited with his mother.
“Amazingly, William is in good spirits and for the most part, in good health. He was taken to hospital for monitoring,” Victoria Police said.
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