A father and his two sons have been found after surviving 10 days in a remote Australian national park by collecting rainwater, USA Today reported on Monday.
Steven Van Lonkjuyzen and his children, Ethan, 7, and Timothy, 5, headed to the city on Cairns from their home in Brisbane on Dec. 11. Queensland Police said they were last spotted at a gas station that same day. Van Lonkhuyzen was planning to drive to Cairns using an inland route, but their car got stuck in the mud at the park.
The trio brought very little food and didn't have cell phone reception to call for help. They were rescued by a farmer in Expedition National Park and were taken to a hospital. The boys were said to be in stable condition on Monday.
"Quite simply, he took a wrong turn," Queensland Police Acting Superintendent Mick Bianchi said.
To survive, they collected rainwater in plastic containers during storms.
Tom Wagner, the farmer who found the family, said he recognized the white four-wheel-drive vehicle and saw it entering the park. He decided to go looking for the group, thinking they could be nearby.
"I realized where they had been and thought they could be in the park next to us," Wagner said. "It's 100,000 acres of really rough country, it's massive and easy to get lost in.
Wagner said they were happy to see him and seemed hungry. The boys were reportedly emaciated and dehydrated, the Irish Times reported.
Van Lonkhuyzen tried to bring attention to his vehicle by lighting fires and laying out other highly visible items.