Miracle! Toddler with Autism, lost in Australian woods, found 3 days later

A toddler missing for nearly three days, stranded in woods with no food or water, was rescued safely, the local authorities informed.

New Delhi: A missing 3-year-old boy who had been reported missing was found safe by authorities on Monday around 11:30 AM (local time), according to a press release from the New South Wales Police Force. He has been reunited with his family and is being assessed by NSW Ambulance paramedics, the authorities said.

His father, Anthony Elfalak told reporters "it's a miracle" after he and his wife, Kelly Elfalak, were reunited with their son. The child has autism and is non-verbal, he survived the ordeal with a few scratches and bruises. The toddler, Anthony "AJ" Elfalak spent several days alone in the Australian woods and has left the authorities baffled as he was left stranded with no food, water or any shelter around. 

AJ was found sitting in a shallow creek and drinking water with cupped hands on his family's remote rural property near the village of Putty, north of Sydney.

A three-year-old child missing on a rural property in the Hunter region since Friday has been located following a large-scale search.https://t.co/VrlVwL4sYW pic.twitter.com/byOXFCiD1j — NSW Police Force (@nswpolice) September 6, 2021

The toddler was first reported missing around 12:30 PM on Friday. The police had immediately launched a search, with hundreds of emergency service volunteers and other agencies pitching in to help, including NSW Ambulance, State Emergency Service, Rural Fire Service and the Volunteer Rescue Association.