4 days ago
Man Lost in Wilderness Found Alive After 9 Days Without Clean Water
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
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Searchers found Andrew Barber, 39, alive north of Williams Lake in Canada on August 8, nine days after he was reported missing.
Williams Lake Royal Canadian Mounted Police said in a press release that a 39-year-old man who was reported missing on July 31 has been located.
"He was literally slurping unclean pond water to stay hydrated," Williams Lake Royal Canadian Mounted Police Staff Sergeant Brad McKinnon told The Canadian Press.
A Royal Canadian Mounted Police helicopter spotted Barber's broken-down truck on a forest service road past McLeese Lake, and Barber was found in the bush near his vehicle, McKinnon told The Williams Lake Tribune.
Newsweek reached out to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for additional information and comment.
Quesnel Search & Rescue shared a photo of a rock with "HELP" written on it and confirmed in a Facebook post that Barber was found alive. McKinnon said Barber wrote the message in mud and made an SOS out of rocks.
Why It Matters
McKinnon said that if officials had not located Barber when they did, he would have "graver concerns" about his survival.
"The human body can go a long time without food, but water is a different situation," McKinnon told The Canadian Press.
Stock image: A police unit responds to the scene of an emergency.
Stock image: A police unit responds to the scene of an emergency.
MattGush/Getty Images
What To Know
Barber was last seen on July 28 in Riske Creek and was reported missing to police on July 31, The Williams Lake Tribune reported.
Barber was transported by helicopter to Cariboo Memorial Hospital for treatment, McKinnon told the outlet.
"He had sustained an injury to his right leg, and he was severely dehydrated," McKinnon told The Canadian Press.
Barber made a makeshift shelter of wood and mud and ate whatever he could find in the woods, according to the outlet.
What People Are Saying
Williams Lake Royal Canadian Mounted Police Staff Sgt. Brad McKinnon, in comments to The Canadian Press: "We had been at this for nine days, and it was essentially like looking for a needle in a haystack. The Cariboo region of British Columbia is beautiful, but it is immense, and there are tons of rural and wilderness areas."
Quesnel Search & Rescue, in a Facebook post: "Today's result is why we train, why we respond, and why we never give up."
What Happens Next
Barber was released from Cariboo Memorial Hospital, McKinnon said.
"I'm told he is doing quite well," McKinnon said.
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