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| SOS in sand was moment of inspiration - rescued tourist | SOS in sand was moment of inspiration - rescued tourist |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A British man who got lost in a remote part of Australia says a life-saving SOS message he wrote in the sand was "one of those moments of inspiration". | |
| Geoff Keys sparked a huge search after going missing on his way to a waterfall in Jardine National Park, Queensland. | Geoff Keys sparked a huge search after going missing on his way to a waterfall in Jardine National Park, Queensland. |
| The 63-year-old was rescued after two days, with police saying the written cry for help probably saved his life. | The 63-year-old was rescued after two days, with police saying the written cry for help probably saved his life. |
| When the authorities found him, they said: "'There's a lot of people worried about you mate'," he told the BBC. | When the authorities found him, they said: "'There's a lot of people worried about you mate'," he told the BBC. |
| Police had been on the verge of re-directing their search to another area of dense bush land when they saw the SOS. | Police had been on the verge of re-directing their search to another area of dense bush land when they saw the SOS. |
| 'No problem' | 'No problem' |
| Mr Keys, from Dartford, Kent, said he was not concerned about starving - despite having no supplies. He said he would have turned to foraging if he had been lost for longer. | Mr Keys, from Dartford, Kent, said he was not concerned about starving - despite having no supplies. He said he would have turned to foraging if he had been lost for longer. |
| "I was swimming in a creek so drink was no problem," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. "And to be honest I wasn't particularly hungry, so food wasn't an issue." | "I was swimming in a creek so drink was no problem," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. "And to be honest I wasn't particularly hungry, so food wasn't an issue." |
| He said he would have kept swimming down the creek had the message proved unsuccessful, and that would have got him back on track "eventually". | He said he would have kept swimming down the creek had the message proved unsuccessful, and that would have got him back on track "eventually". |
| He was lost for two days and it took a full day after writing the message before he was found. | He was lost for two days and it took a full day after writing the message before he was found. |
| Mr Keys had earlier explained that he had been attempting to find the Eliot Falls. | Mr Keys had earlier explained that he had been attempting to find the Eliot Falls. |
| He told the BBC: "I went for the swim on Monday afternoon, [and] it was the Tuesday lunchtime I left the message. | He told the BBC: "I went for the swim on Monday afternoon, [and] it was the Tuesday lunchtime I left the message. |
| "I'd heard helicopters out that morning, so that said to me that - unless there's some other fool who'd got themselves lost - they were out there looking for me." | "I'd heard helicopters out that morning, so that said to me that - unless there's some other fool who'd got themselves lost - they were out there looking for me." |
| Mr Keys said that after spending another night in the the bush - along with a three-hour hike with no shoes on - he decided to head back to where the message in the sand had said he would be. | Mr Keys said that after spending another night in the the bush - along with a three-hour hike with no shoes on - he decided to head back to where the message in the sand had said he would be. |
| "I could be 500m from the track, I could be 5km, I just didn't know," he said. "So [the] sensible thing was to go back to where my message had said I would be, which was swimming down the creek… that's what I did the next morning." | "I could be 500m from the track, I could be 5km, I just didn't know," he said. "So [the] sensible thing was to go back to where my message had said I would be, which was swimming down the creek… that's what I did the next morning." |
| Mr Keys said he would continue to travel in future but would not go swimming again. | Mr Keys said he would continue to travel in future but would not go swimming again. |