Rescuers trying to track down a missing hiker have found his hiking poles and other supplies as an intensive search enters its second week.
23-year-old Hadi Nazari was last seen on December 26, heading down a challenging trail in the Mount Kosciuszko National Park in Australia’s Snowy Mountains.
Reportedly carrying a sizeable supply of water, the university student had organized to meet his friends at a nearby campsite after completing the 13.7 mile / 22km trek but failed to show.
In the week since, authorities from the New South Wales Police, National Parks and Wildlife Service, State Emergency Service, and New South Wales Ambulance have been desperately searching for Nazari.
Scouring the area from the ground and air, efforts had been largely unsuccessful until New Year's Eve, when hiking poles and rubbish believed to belong to the young man were found in a dense area of bush.
Although the discovery has lifted spirits, officials remain realistic about Nazari’s chances of survival.
“We don’t have many who’re missing for an extended period and come out alive,” Search and Rescue specialist Paul Luckin told the Guardian.
“His survival is going to depend on finding drinking water and staying at that water.”
Despite carrying a sensible amount of water alongside some camping gear, Nazari did not have a satellite locator device according to New South Wales Police.
Satellite locator devices like the Garmin InReach can be the difference between life and death in emergencies. Not reliant on phone signals, satellite locators are capable of sending for help in all manner of remote locations.
In the past decade, more than 10,000 people have used Garmin InReach devices to call for emergency help. In September, a Canadian hiker who’d been mauled by a bear was rescued after sending an SOS signal with his Garmin InReach.
In addition to his long absence, officials are particularly concerned about Nazari's survival due to the unforgiving terrain of Mount Kosciuszko National Park. The ‘Hannels Spur Track’ he was attempting has a well-earned reputation as one of Australia’s most treacherous trails.
“It’s part of the most rugged terrain in New South Wales. It’s very steep, it’s very vegetated and it’s quite remote,” New South Wales Police Acting Superintendant Jillian Gibson told reporters.
“It's the biggest trauma of my life,” Nazari’s sister Zahra told 9News.
“I just look at his pictures all the time and pray to God he'll come back, he'll come back soon.”
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