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An 18-year-old man has astonished emergency personnel by surviving for almost nine weeks in dense Australian bush during a record-breaking heatwave.

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Matthew Allen, who has been missing from his home since November 27, was found covered in leeches, bites from mosquitoes and gangrene was affecting his feet and legs. Police said he had lost almost 84lbs (38kgs) — about half his body weight.

“He was in such a poor state,” Acting Det.-Insp. Glyn Baker told the Sydney Morning Herald. “He was completely exhausted, completely dehydrated, suffered significant weight loss, somewhere up to 50%. He was suffering from partial blindness and he had leeches all over him.”

Mr. Allen disappeared from his home in Westleigh, north of Sydney, without his phone or extra clothing. Some reports said he may have set out on a survival mission, although The Daily Telegraph reported that Mr. Allen, who has mental health issues, wanted to run away from home.

“Hikers often walk along tracks in the area and we think he might have stayed hidden from them,” Mr Baker said.

“He was not living under any shelter and was exposed to the full conditions since reported being missing.”

In that time, Sydney temperatures have hit more than 45C.