Australian teenager survives nine weeks in wild bushland

Allen’s family feared the worst after his disappearance

An Australian teenager who went missing from his home in Sydney more than two months ago was discovered yesterday emaciated, exhausted and covered in leeches, but alive in bushland north of the city.

Matthew Allen’s family feared the worst after the 18- year- old disappeared in late November from Westleigh in northwest Sydney and his mobile phone and bank accounts went untouched.

Extensive searches of the area by police failed to find a trace of Allen, who suffers from an undisclosed medical condition. But two hikers spotted the teen lying in bushland less than two kilometres from his home on Saturday, covered in leeches and insect bites and having lost almost half his body weight.

He was partially blind, exhausted and suffering gangrene to his lower legs and feet after an ordeal police said they were amazed he had survived.

“He was completely exhausted, completely dehydrated, suffered significant weight loss, somewhere up to 50 per cent. He was suffering from partial blindness and he had leeches all over him,” said acting police inspector Glyn Baker. “He was not living under any shelter and was exposed to the full conditions since reported being missing,” he added.

Allen is believed to have deliberately hidden from view and told rescuers he had survived by drinking from a local creek, which was almost dry when he was found. He endured soaring temperatures in recent weeks including a record- breaking 46 degree Celsius day in Sydney.