Victoria police have released extraordinary footage of the moment 11-year-old Luke Shambrook was found after more than four days missing in dense bushland.
Luke, who has autism, was found about 11.55am on Tuesday off Skyline Road, police said. The road is about three kilometres from the Candlebark campsite where Luke had last been seen by his family on Friday.
Luke was spotted by a police helicopter search crew.
In the footage Luke appeared to be sitting on sloped ground with his legs straight out in front of him.
His location was communicated to searchers on the ground, and the camera captured the moment a rescuer ran over and crouched next to him.
Shortly after another person ran over with emergency medical supplies, pulling out a foil blanket to wrap around the boy.
Luke was suffering from exhaustion, hypothermia and dehydration, Victoria Police acting assistant commissioner Rick Nugent told reporters at the scene.
In an interview provided by the police, acting Sergeant Brad Pascoe from the police Air Wing described the moment he spotted Luke from the helicopter.
“I just out of the corner of my eye caught a little flash of something,” Pascoe said. “It wasn’t much, but it was enough to make me get the guys to turn the aircraft around and have a further look.
“As we got closer and were able to have a better look at him, we saw that it was a person on the ground and we were able to train the camera in and confirm that it was actually Luke.
“All of us in the crew are parents ourselves and we can only imagine what the parents of Luke have been going through. It’s just such a reward for everybody’s efforts.”
Luke was “one courageous, strong, determined young man”, Nugent said. “Four days, four nights in this terrain, it really is a miracle that he’s alive and well.”
Nugent said Luke was unable to communicate with his rescuers but drank the water and ate a bread roll he was offered. He was found in dense scrub and must have climbed a number of large, steep rocks to get to his position, Fairfax Radio reported. Rain fell over the weekend and temperatures dropped as low as 3C at night. Luke’s speech is limited, so the full details of his ordeal may never be known.
Photos from the scene showed Luke on a stretcher, wrapped in foil for warmth and with a Victoria police beanie on his head, his mother cradling his face and leaning in to kiss him.
“When the rescue team met up with him, he was in high spirits and was walked out of the bush on his own two feet,” a message on the Luke Shambrook support page on Facebook said.
“He gave Tim [his father] a big thumbs-up when they saw each other. The family are very happy to be reunited.”
Throughout the search police and Luke’s family maintained hope he would be found alive.
The police dog squad, airwing, motorcycles, mounted branch and 4WDs took part in the five day search of Lake Eildon national park, as did campers and 40 other civilian volunteers from nearby towns.
Luke’s beanie was found on Monday afternoon near Devil’s Cove, not far from the Candlebark campsite. That renewed hopes Luke would be found alive as it indicated he had walked away from water.
It gave police a reference point from which line searches were conducted at Devil’s Cove.
His family had warned searchers it was possible that Luke did not know he was lost because of his autism. The Shambrook family have thanked those involved in the search for their son.
Luke had been missing since 9.30am last Friday. He was last seen at the site where he had been camping with his family.
An extensive police search was launched and many locals rushed to help, with police at one point having to turn people away.
