US Climber Survives On Centipedes

A US climber has described how he ate centipedes and drank from streams as he spent five freezing nights on a mountain after breaking his ankle.

Derek Mamoyac, 27, was plucked to safety from the west side of Mount Adams in southern Washington nearly a week after setting off on a one-day hike.

The hiker, who was found dehydrated and with swollen legs, said he had fallen and broken his ankle in loose snow near the summit of the volcanic mountain.

For five days he crawled through the snow and ate the few bugs he could find in a desperate attempt to survive.

Mr Mamoyac was eventually found at 6,000m by Trulee, a golden retriever search dog, and flown to hospital.

Family members who spoke with him briefly by phone said he sounded well.

"It's like waking up from a horrible dream," said his sister, Sophia Mamoyac.

The rescue team reported that Mamoyac was in good shape for having spent so long on the mountainside.

"We get happy endings, but not at the end of a five-day search," rescuer Greg Varney said.

At 12,277 feet (3,740m), Mount Adams rises to nearly three times the height of Ben Nevis - Britain's highest mountain.

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