Man Found After 9 Days in Remote Canada

A Canadian man survived nine days in the British Columbia wilderness by relying on pond water and a makeshift shelter made from sticks and mud, authorities say. Andrew Barber, 39, was found after a search helicopter spotted his abandoned truck on a remote forest road near McLeese Lake—over 350 miles north of Vancouver—and then located Barber himself not far away, hunkered down near the word "help" scraped into a rock and an "SOS" message in the mud, reports the BBC.

Barber, who vanished on July 31 after his vehicle broke down, suffered dehydration and an unspecified leg injury but is otherwise fine. "He had taken some grass and stuffed in his clothing for insulation, he built himself a small shelter," says Bob Zimmerman of the Quesnel Search and Rescue group, Canada's Global News. "He was drinking pond water to survive. We're just very happy that he was found alive." The water wasn't clean, but it helped keep him somewhat hydrated, says Staff Sgt. Brad McKinnon of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. "The human body can go a long time without food, but water is a different situation."