A British expat who went missing for three days in the Australian outback after a row with his girlfriend has been found alive.
Anthony Collis, who is originally from Wiltshire but now lives in Perth, survived the freezing overnight temperatures by burying himself in sand and dirt, The Times reports.
The 32-year-old was found barefoot, dehydrated and suffering from exposure just half a mile from his car, approximately 1km north of Well 22 by Western Australian Police on Sunday.
Collis had been driving to Darwin along the Canning Stock Route (CSR) when his vehicle became stuck in the mud, prompting him and his partner Deborah Blomfield, 39, to argue before going their separate ways.
The 1,150mile CSR, traversing Halls Creek in the Kimberley region of Western Australia to Wiluna in the mid-west region, is described as one of the toughest, most remote tracks in the world. It typically takes up to three weeks to complete.
“Because of the way he secured himself [in the dirt] he didn’t show up [on heat-seeking devices] Senior Sergeant Bob Scott said in comments reported by the Telegraph.
He added Collis had eaten insects and flowers for three days and credited his survival skills to the adventurer Bear Grylls.
A police spokesman said: “He is currently being flown by helicopter to Newman where he will be treated in hospital.
“Mr Collis had been missing since Thursday. He had been driving the Canning stock route with the 39-year-old woman when they became separated. She was located by travellers at the Georgia Bore Camp on Thursday night which led to a search and rescue operation commencing at first light on Friday.”