Rescuers found hiking poles and trash during the search for a college student missing more than a week ago.
Hadi Nazari, 23, broke away from his friends to take photographs along the Hannels Spur Trail between Khancoban and Thredbo, in Mount Kosciuszko National Park in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales, at around 2.30pm. of Boxing Day.
The Melbourne student was last seen descending the challenging 22km trail and told friends he would meet them at Geehi camp.
When Nazari didn’t arrive, his friends looked for him before alerting authorities.
Police, SES, NSW Ambulance, VRA Rescue, Polair and the NSW Parks and Wildlife Service have spent seven days searching for Mr Nazari.
Rescuers from specialized police units and SES teams have been combing through dense bushland by land and air.
The hiking poles and debris were located Tuesday afternoon, but Mr. Nazari has not yet been found.
Nazari, an experienced hiker who turned 23 on Tuesday, was carrying a tent, a sleeping bag and a phone.
Rescuers have found hiking poles and rubbish as the search continues for missing university student Hadi Nazari (pictured), who disappeared without a trace more than a week ago.
Zahra (pictured) broke down as she made a heartbreaking plea to authorities to help her find her brother as she clings to hope that he will be found safe and sound.
It was not carrying a personal locator beacon, but was thought to have a reasonable amount of water, police told reporters.
A helicopter with infrared imaging technology was also used in the search and specialized teams were deployed to the rugged terrain.
Nazari’s sister, Zahra, collapsed as she pleaded with authorities to continue the search, as she clings to the hope that he will be found alive.
Mrs. Nazari fears that her brother may have been overwhelmed by his surroundings.
“It’s a remote area… there could be other insects or animals here too, which poses a threat to him,” Ms Nazari said. 9News on Mondays.
“It’s the biggest trauma of my life, not seeing him for so many days, not being able to talk to him for so many days. I just look at his pictures all the time and pray to God that he comes back, that he comes back soon.”
Mr Nazari and his friends had left Melbourne on December 22 and planned to return home on Boxing Day; the day he disappeared.
On Christmas Day, Nazari texted his sister on a friend’s phone to say, “I’ll be home tomorrow.”
Ms. Nazari said her brother dreams of becoming a neurosurgeon.
“I’m sure if he survives, he’ll do a lot… he’s very smart,” she said.
“We just want him to be found safe and sound, that’s all.”
Mrs. Nazari told the alphabet his brother is an enthusiastic photographer, which caused his separation from the group.
“He said, ‘I’ll stay back and take some pictures,'” she said.
“So his friends came over and had breakfast and everything and when they came back, he didn’t come for two hours.”
Nazari, (pictured), an experienced hiker who turned 23 on Tuesday, was carrying a tent, a sleeping bag and a phone.
“We want more people there, it’s a very vast area, it’s a very dense area… more support from all sides will speed up the process.”
She said she feared for her brother who endured cold nights in the mountains and had read reports of another woman bitten by a snake in the mountains who remained missing for 13 days.
SES Superintendent Matthew Price said it was an advantage for Nazari to have some hiking experience.
The Hannels Spur Trail is considered one of the most challenging hiking routes in Australia with an elevation gain of 1,800 metres.
“It’s some of the most rugged terrain in New South Wales, it’s very steep, it’s heavily bushed and it’s quite remote,” NSW Police Acting Superintendent Jillian Gibson said.