Elderly Dementia Patient Lost for Three Days Survives by Eating Grass in Abandoned House, Safely Rescued

According to Hapcheon-gun, Gyeongnam Province, on the 31st, A (79), who lives in Sado-ri, Gunbuk-myeon, went missing after leaving home in the afternoon of the 28th but was safely rescued. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Bong-ju] A man in his 70s with dementia who went missing after leaving his home was found after three days, surviving by eating grass in an abandoned house on a mountain.

According to Haman-gun, Gyeongnam Province, A (79), a resident of Sado-ri, Gunbuk-myeon, went missing after leaving his home on the afternoon of the 28th.

Following a family report of A's disappearance, about 150 people including villagers, police, and firefighters formed a joint search team.

A was found by a passerby on the morning of the 30th at 8:20 a.m. in a mountain area near Myeongjigol, Myeonggwan-ri, about 10 km from his residence.

A, who was safely rescued, was confirmed to have no significant health issues at the time of discovery.

The county believes that on the day he went missing, A took a nap and, upon waking, found his daughter was not at home, so he left to look for her but got lost.

It is reported that A spent three days in the nearby mountain, alleviating hunger by eating grass and sleeping in the abandoned house.

A county official said, "We were very worried because he is an elderly dementia patient with a frail body weighing less than 40 kg, but we are truly relieved that he was found safely."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.