Melbourne bakery rubbish kept crews hopeful missing hiker Hadi Nazari was alive

One of the hikers who found Melbourne medicine student Hadi Nazari after he was lost on Mount Kosciuszko for 13 days has described the tear-filled moment he stumbled towards her pleading for help.

One of the hikers who found Melbourne medicine student Hadi Nazari after he was lost on Mount Kosciuszko for 13 days has described the tear-filled moment she recognised the man depicted in the news as he stumbled towards her pleading for help.

Jessica Dart and her friends were on an overnight hike when Mr Nazari started yelling and racing towards them, begging them not to leave him.

“I had just seen a photo of him in the National Parks office and his face was fresh in my mind, and then started to think that looks a lot like the guy from the news, actually,” Ms Dart said.

“He was yelling I haven’t eaten for seven days, I’ve been out here for seven days … I said what’s your name and he said Hadi — I said oh my God, we looked at each other and said this is the guy.”

Ms Dart said Mr Nazari was disoriented about the amount of time that had passed since he had lost his way.

Hadi Nazari and Jessica Hart, soon after the hiker was found.

Hadi Nazari said he had lost his way while taking photographs.

“I showed him my phone with the date and his face just dropped … I started crying, he started crying, we started hugging each other, I was like I can’t believe you’re safe and sound.

“He was saying thank you God, thank you for stopping, thank you so much, you’re angels.”

Ms Dart said Mr Nazari said he was taking photos before he lost his bearings and was yet to piece together how he got off track.

“From the sounds of it, he was pretty much walking the whole time he was out there,” Ms Dart said.

“He ditched different pieces of his stuff to lighten the load.”

Hadi Nazari with Jessica and the hiking group who found him.

The group provided Mr Nazari with a small amount of food, with Ms Dart — a nurse — conscious of him not overdoing it after so many days without substantial food.

Mr Nazari told Ms Dart he had spent a few nights in the Opera House Hut while it was raining, with Ms Dart describing the challenging conditions overnight.

“Last night I was wearing so many layers, even with a tent, sleeping bag, down jacket, all of the gear, I was shivering all night,” Ms Dart said. “I don’t know how he made it.”

‘His foot is all blisters, he can’t walk’: Hiker’s cousin reveals toll

The cousin of a hiker found after 13 days lost on Mount Kosciuszko has said the man is in good spirits and deeply grateful for those who never gave up on finding him.

Hussain Ali said Hadi Nazari had miraculously escaped with just blisters and scratches after becoming lost during a hike for 13 long days and nights.

“We were sure that he was a fighter and he will fight to the end,” Mr Ali said.

“Our friends came from Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, we were going up and down every day.

“Police were shocked at how desperate we were to find him, we knew we would find him and God would protect him.”

Mr Ali said they hoped Mr Nazari would be able to return home to Melbourne on Thursday.

“He was in good condition, we were surprised,” Mr Ali said.

Found hiker Hadi Nazari's cousin Hussain Ali speaks outside Cooma Hospital on Thursday. Picture: Martin Ollman

“His foot is all blisters, a few scratches but no major injury — he can’t walk because of the blisters but that’s it.”

After surviving on two muesli bars, wild berries and water for more than two weeks, Mr Nazari was able to eat a sandwich while he was treated for dehydration at Cooma Hospital.

“When he saw me, he ran towards me and hugged me, we were all surprised and shocked at how fit and healthy he was,” Mr Ali said.

“When we found him he was keen to go for another hike and we said no more hiking for you,” Mr Ali laughed.

“There will be a movie on him, surviving on that mountain is not easy for 13 days and nights.”

Mr Nazari dehydrated and ‘very grateful’

On Thursday morning Cooma Hospital released a statement saying Mr Nazari was being treated for dehydration.
A NSW Health spokeswoman said he was in good spirits and recovering well and was expected to be discharged within the next few days.

Mr Nazari is being treated for dehydration at Cooma Hospital. Picture: Martin Ollman

She said Mr Nazari and his family were grateful for all the support they have received but request privacy at this time.

Mr Nazari said, via the statement: “I would like to thank everyone who has wished me well in my recovery, and prayed for me.”

“I am very grateful for the rescuers and volunteers involved in searching for me, may God bless them all. I cannot thank everyone enough.”

Bakery rubbish near waterway kept SES hopeful

Search and rescue crews were planning to keep searching for bushwalker Hadi Nazari well into next week had he not been found on Wednesday, with experts confident he was alive due to his access to water.

Nazari, 23, went missing on December 26, after heading down the Hannels Spur Trail at Geehi, sparking a 13-day rescue mission to find the stranded Melbourne medical student.

He was located on Wednesday afternoon by a group of hikers, including Joshua Dart, some 10km away from the search command post.

Mr Dart posted pictures of a smiling Mr Nazari on social media, who looked well other than a few scratches on his face.

Joshua Dart posted this picture on Instagram after finding missing hiker Hadi Nazari.

“Thank god we found the missing hiker on our hike in Kosciuszko,” he wrote. “What a day.”

The first clue that Mr Nazari was alive came in the form of crumpled up snack wrappers, according to NSW SES South Eastern Deputy Zone Commander Matt Price.

“The first two big finds were the walking poles and his snack rubbish because they came from a Melbourne bakery they stopped at on the way up,” he said.

The next clue came from Mr Nazari’s camera, which he had left on a remote hiking track with a message for the army of search and rescue personnel out looking for him.

The location of these items, according to Commander Price, kept them confident that he was alive, as they were found along creeks and water sources where Mr Nazari would have been able to hydrate.

“(We were confident) he was able to cross and find water, with the hot conditions, which is why we were very hopeful and planning our search into next week,” he said.

“Because with water his chances of a good outcome were significantly increased, which is what we found at the end.”

Police searching for Mr Nazari. Picture: NSW Police

For 13 days, crew members spent up to 14 hours a day searching through thick scrub and steep hills for Mr Nazari.

The conditions were so intense that it was easier to keep some SES crews in the field, camping out overnight to rest, before they commenced their search again the next morning.

“It was very technically and physically demanding bushland. We were having to travel through some hard and very hot conditions,” Commander Price said.

But on Wednesday afternoon, a sense of elation rippled through the search and rescue teams after a radio call came through: Mr Nazari had been found — and he was safe and well.

“To quote one of our members — a 40-year veteran — ‘that is the single best radio call I’ve ever had to make,’ when he got to tell the teams and tell them he had been located,” Commander Price said.

SES crews during the search.

“People were really happy and it lifted everyone’s spirits.”

More than half of the rescue team was made up of highly trained SES volunteers, who had come from all over the NSW — including Wollongong, Wagga Wagga and Albury — to help.

Mr Nazari was taken to Cooma Hospital for treatment following the ordeal, with his sister Zahra on Thursday releasing a statement on behalf of his family.

“We are so grateful Hadi is safe and sound,” she said.

“We are grateful for everyone involved in helping us find my brother.”

Originally published as Melbourne bakery rubbish kept crews hopeful missing hiker Hadi Nazari was alive