Missing Man Found Alive After Nearly 3 Weeks

Australia's Robert Weber survived on dam water and mushrooms
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 24, 2021 9:00 AM CST
Missing Man Found Alive After Nearly 3 Weeks
File photo of a remote road in Australia.   (Getty/Misio)

It's a day for surprise rescues. A 58-year-old man who went missing in Australia's bushland almost three weeks ago has been found alive, reports AFP. Robert Weber apparently became hopelessly lost after his car got stuck, but he found his way to a dam and survived for 18 days by drinking its water and eating mushrooms, authorities say. Weber was hospitalized for exposure on Sunday but was otherwise in good condition, per news.com.au. He had last been seen on Jan. 6, when he set off with his dog from a hotel in Kilkivan, about 125 miles north of Brisbane.

Rescuers eventually found his car bogged down on a remote road, but there was no sign of Weber or the dog. Though the official search was later suspended, authorities asked property owners to keep their eyes peeled, and one spotted Weber on Sunday. Police say he had remained at the car with his dog for three days before running out of water. “He left on foot and became lost and remained at a dam where he survived by sleeping on the ground, drinking dam water, and eating mushrooms," says a police statement. As of Sunday morning, his dog had yet to be located. (More Australia stories.)

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