By Rod McGuirk - The Associated Press
A 3-year-old boy, dressed only in a sweater and diapers, was found alive Monday in a stream while drinking water with his hands, after spending
three days lost in a forest
in a forest in Australia.
Hundreds of people have searched for Anthony Elfalak, who is autistic and cannot communicate verbally, since he disappeared Friday morning from his family's property near the rural town of Putty, north of Sydney.
The opinion of these six children on the use of the mask could make many adults blush
Aug. 24, 202102: 10
Police helicopter crew
found him sitting in a shallow stream
around noon Monday, 1,540 feet from his home, Police Superintendent Tracy Chapman said.
The minor was in good condition but, according to paramedics, he was taken to hospital for medical observation.
His father, Anthony Elfalak, said he
had ant bites, diaper rashes
and abrasions.
Anthony Elfalak, right, and his wife Kelly embrace on the news that their son AJ was found alive on a family property in Putty, northwestern Australia, on September 6, 2021.
"It's a miracle
," the father told reporters after he and his wife, Kelly, were reunited with their son.
"He is clinging to his mother. As soon as he heard her, he opened his eyes, saw her and fell asleep," he said.
The boy was found in an area that had already been inspected
.
Police assume he spent the entire time in the woods,
Chapman said.
This is how they rescued a child in Mexico who was trapped under a landslide caused by Hurricane Grace
Aug. 22, 202100: 49
Their ability to find clean water was key to survival,
due to the risk of dehydration, Chapman added.
At night, temperatures in the area drop to as low as 43 degrees Fahrenheit (about 6 degrees Celsius).
The boy was kneeling in the creek when a State Emergency Service agent approached him and put a hand on his shoulder, dependency inspector Simon Merrick said.
The agent "said the boy turned around and saw him with a huge smile that he will never forget,"
Merrick said.
Two American children are stabbed to death in Baja California.
The father, main suspect
Aug. 10, 202100: 42
The paramedic who examined the boy, Gerry Pyke, described him as a "small survivor."
His status is "outstanding", he explained, "he was very, very grateful, I noticed it in his eyes."
The boy slept in an ambulance after reuniting with his parents, and woke up hungry: "He ate three slices of pizza and a banana, so that's fine," concluded Pyke.
