An 11-year-old autistic boy missing for more than four days in the Australian bush was rescued after being spotted by helicopter Tuesday just two miles from where he vanished, police said.
Luke Shambrook was suffering from exhaustion, dehydration and hypothermia when he was found at 11:55 a.m. Tuesday (9:55 p.m. ET Monday), Victoria Police Acting Commander Rick Nugent told Australia’s Channel 7.
He was found in thick scrub after a few days of cold, wet weather, Nugent said. Shambrook had been reunited with his family and was receiving medical treatment, officials added.
The boy's disappearance near a campground 70 miles northeast of Melbourne on Friday sparked a widespread search — involving dogs, helicopters, motorcycles, and some 40 volunteers from nearby towns.
The boy was spotted by Acting Sgt. Brad Pascoe aboard one of the police's Air Wing helicopter fleet. "It was quite amazing," Pascoe said. "I just out of the corner of my eye caught a little flash of something it wasn't much but it was enough to make me get the guys to turn the aircraft around and have a further look."
"In some ways it's a miracle," Nugent told reporters, according to Australia’s Channel 7. "To spot him now is an absolute relief."
