British backpacker Sam Woodhead said he felt “very fortunate to still be alive” after he was found in the Australian outback three days after going missing.
He said: “I’m extremely grateful to anyone everyone who helped out in any shape or form… If it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t be here today.”
British backpacker Sam Woodhead, 18, said he was "grateful" to the search and rescue teams who found him in the Australian outback three days after he went missing.
A British backpacker who went missing for three days in the Australian outback said he felt "very fortunate" to be alive, in an interview with Sky News.
Sam Woodhead became lost after going out for a jog from the Queensland cattle station where he was working.
The 18-year-old lost two stone in weight and survived the blistering 40C heat by drinking contact lens fluid and his own urine.
Woodhead said: "It was a really amazing feeling to be picked up and realise that I was actually going to make it through...and it wasn't going to be the end."
Claire Derry, Sam's mother, said: "His birth was one of the best moments of my life, and this is pretty close to it, getting him back again, because I was pretty convinced it was touch and go. I did an awful lot of praying during that flight."
Watch: Family overwhelmed after missing backpacker is found.
The mother of the back-packer, who was lost for three days in the Australian outback, says he looks fantastic - despite his ordeal.
Claire Derry has been reunited with her son, Sam, who survived by drinking contact lens solution.
As more details of his dramatic rescue emerge - she says he's incredibly lucky to be alive.Toby Sadler has the story.
The mother of a backpacker from Richmond, who's been missing in the Australian Outback for more than three days, has spoken of her relief after he found safe and well.
Eighteen year old Samuel Woodhead was reported missing in Queensland on Tuesday after he never returned from a jog. ITV News' Hannah Emerson-Thomas was the first to speak to his mother Claire, as she touched down in Australia to see him.
The sister of British backpacker Sam Woodhead, who was found safe and well in the Australian Outback, told ITV's Daybreak she was going to "give him a great whack" when she next sees him.
Sam's father Peter Woodhead thanked all the people who found his son: "We have just had so much support from friends and family. I would like to put on air the thanks we give to everyone who joined in their search effort. He owes his life to them."
Alex Dorr, a search and rescue pilot who was part of the team that found missing British backpacker Sam Woodhead, told ITV's Daybreak a helicopter was "scrambled out last night" as they searched in the dark with night-vision cameras in a bid to find him quickly.
He described the area Woodhead went missing in as "very harsh and unforgiving".
Dorr added: "Not that long ago we had a guy who was missing for a much shorter time and he passed away from dehydration."
The father of British backpacker Sam Woodhead, who was found safe and well after missing for three days in the Australian Outback, has told ITV's Daybreak his discovery is "beyond my wildest dreams."
Peter Woodhead said the ordeal had been a "true nightmare", while the backpacker's sister Rebecca said he was found with minor injuries including "sunburn, dehydration and cracked lips."
A London family are desperately waiting for news after an 18-year-old backpacker went missing in a remote part of Australia. Sam Woodhead from Richmond has not been seen since Tuesday despite a massive search to find him.
Sharon Thomas reports.
A Foreign Office spokesman said:
"We are aware that a British national has been reported missing in Queensland, Australia.
"Consular staff in Brisbane are in contact with Australian police who are conducting the search.
"We are providing consular assistance to the family in the UK at this difficult time."