Hobart man Andrew Gaskell missing two weeks found in Malaysia, reports

Her son Andrew was found weak, covered in leeches, but alive after disappearing two weeks ago in the Malaysian jungle.

In a miracle find, the 25-year-old Hobart man was spotted by Malaysian search and rescue teams at the foot of Mulu Mountain in Sarawak.

Mrs Gaskell said “relief and thankfulness” swept over her when she heard the news.

“It is a bit hard to describe, you feel pretty overwhelmed,” she told the Mercury yesterday.

“I spoke to my son [Ben] first he said ‘he is alive, weak but alive’ and they were going to take him in a helicopter to Miri to the hospital.”

Mr Gaskell became lost after descending a mountain at sunset into bushland where there were a lot of different trails.

“I ended up spending that whole night just wandering,” he told ABC radio.

“If I had a GPS or navigational equipment I would have been fine. That was extremely stupid of me, really.”

Mr Gaskell said his feet were injured and it was very difficult to walk.

“My nails are infected and I’ve been bitten by a lot of things.”

Mr Gaskell said in the past few days he had survived by eating wild ferns in the jungle and “plenty of water”.

His dramatic rescue came after five days of searching by up to 50 people from the country’s crack Special Tactical Operation Rescue Malaysia as well as the fire brigade, police, sniffer dogs, Andrew’s brother and father and, according to reports, even locals.

Mrs Gaskell said despite the tense and anxious wait for news she had a feeling her son Andrew would survive.

“But I’m not saying I wasn’t tremendously relieved when I found out he was OK and I wasn’t truly thankful for all those people that put in all that effort,” she said.

“He wouldn’t have been found if they didn’t put all those resources and effort in

“I’m really thankful to all the people that looked [for him]. People have prayed all over Australia for him.”

Footage from local media showed Mr Gaskell in a rescue helicopter after being winched to safety 20m off a hiking track in a dense and rocky terrain at Hidden Valley.

The extremely emaciated hiker was then examined by a medical officer at Mulu airport before being flown to a hospital in the larger city of Miri.

The extensive search, which has attracted widespread interest in Sarawak, involved a rescue team hiking four days to the summit of the 2376m Mulu Mountain along with other areas of the national park.

Mr Gaskell’s sister Sharni Gaskell-Johnston commented on Facebook: “Andrew you are truly a survivor. Geoff and myself are so happy and grateful to all that helped in the search for Andrew. Andrew, a bottle of ginger beer and a pizza will be waiting for you when you get home. xx.”

Aunt Karen Gaskell posted: “Andrew is dearly loved. Thank you for working so hard to rescue him.”

Mr Gaskell, who grew up in Hobart and had been in Cairns for the past three years, arrived in the Malaysian state of Sarawak in early August.

He trekked into Mulu National Park, known for its summits and cave systems, sometime between October 18 and 20.

Family and friends raised the alarm that he could not be contacted and had not returned last week.

Marudi police chief Deputy Superintendent Gabriel Risut said Mr Gaskell had left some belongings and food behind, raising fears he could be ill-equipped for the trip.

According to his diary Mr Gaskell had expressed a desire to climb Mulu Mountain, Mr Risut told the Mercury on Monday. Mr Gaskell’s father David and brother Ben arrived in Sarawak at the weekend to join the search.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is providing consular assistance to the Andrew and his family.

Tasmania Police said they were in contact with the Gaskell family, and their thoughts were with Andrew.

Originally published as Mum’s joy as son found alive in Malaysia