A man who went missing in the Canadian mountains has been found alive after five weeks.
Twenty-year-old Sam Benestick, who faced temperatures as low as -20°C in the Rocky Mountains, disappeared on October 19. He had failed to return from a 10-day trip to Redfern-Keily Park in British Columbia.
By the end of October, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) launched a search operation as the temperatures dropped significantly.
On November 26, two workers at Redfern Lake spotted a person and took him to the hospital, where the police identified him.
An RCMP spokesperson described finding Sam Benestick alive as the best possible outcome. They added that, after such an extended disappearance, it was believed that survival was unlikely.
Benestick told the police that he spent a few days in his car, then stayed in a creek for 10 to 15 days. He then moved to a lower valley and set up a camp before reaching the area where he was found.
Surviving in such extreme cold, he suffered from frostbite, and the smoke from his temporary shelter caused him severe respiratory issues.
The locals involved in the search have called Sam Benestick’s survival an unbelievable miracle.
