UPDATE: Missing boy walked farther than most – MCS

Tristan Smyth is said to have walked between five and 10km when he went missing on 15 October.

More than 30 people, along with two helicopters were involved in the search and rescue of 12-year-old Smyth from Greymont who went missing on the Magaliesberg Mountains for close to 24 hours, barefoot, alone and clothed in only his swimming trunks.

Andrew Sheahan, the Gauteng convener for the Mountain Club of South Africa (MCS) Search and Rescue Unit, said Smyth was very determined and walked much farther and for much longer than someone in his age group.

“He was found mostly uninjured except for being tired, dehydrated, hungry and he had some minor scratches,” Sheahan said.

“The straight line distance between where he was lost and found is 3.8 km but one can not walk it directly due to deep ravines and other obstacles.”

This, however, is not recommended and Sheahan said if found in such a situation, it is advisable to rather seek shelter, stay where you are and try to attract attention in whatever way you can, increasing your chances of being found faster.

According to the unit, they have been called out in the past to search mountainous areas for missing hikers, missing tourists, mentally ill adults, mentally ill children, missing herpetologists, navigationally challenged Scouts, overdue aircraft and many others.

“Every year we deal with two or three searches where people get lost, most often because of being overtaken by the darkness or the deep gorges that can be difficult to find your way out of,” Sheahan said.

Other rescue teams were also involved in the search for the young scout. “A missing person incident falls under the jurisdiction of the police so we worked very closely with the SAPS North West. However, no single organisation can do this on its own,” he said.