Israeli-American rescued after stumbling across remote village while missing in Himalayas for 9 days

An Israeli-American hiker was rescued following a harrowing 9-day disappearance in the Himalayas when he miraculously came across a remote village and was finally able to reach the mainland.Samuel Vengrinovich, who reportedly grew up in California and has family in Florida, moved from Israel to India after 15 years to escape the Israel-Hamas War.He embarked on what was intended to be a two-day journey along Mount Triund on June 9.Vengrinovich set out on the hike as part of a healing mission to lessen the pain he still felt from Hamas’ Oct.7, 2023 attack on Israel that sparked the war, his friend wrote in The Times of Israel.Early one during his trip, he became lost when dense fog rolled into the area.He veered far off course and plummeted over the edge of the mountainside.He sustained multiple fractures and survived off of nothing but insects, berries, grass and even his own urine for sustenance.Vengrinovich was stranded in the unfamiliar mountain range with the bulk of his supplies still at his camp.He only brought one day’s worth of food in his backpack, his sister told JWeekly.All the while, his family in Florida launched a campaign to try and find him in hopes of bringing him home in one piece, according to their GoFundMe.

On June 15, Vengrinovich found a village hidden in the depths of the Himalayas.From there, he was able to reach his rescuers and was treated for his many injuries.However, Vengrinovich’s lifesaving surgeries weren’t covered by insurance, the family said.The GoFundMe, originally intended to help the family hire search teams to look for Vengrinovich, is still active and collecting funds intended to help with his recovery and defer other costs, including a long overdue flight home to Florida.

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