Police have confirmed that a body found in bushland in southeast Australia is that of a British man who went missing three days ago during a camping trip.
King and four friends had been camping near a popular tourist site known as the Twelve Apostles - a collection of rocks rising out of the sea about 100 miles southwest of Melbourne.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
According to witnesses, King hit his head on the ground and suffering a suspected seizure shortly before his disappearance.
His friends told reporters that he then fell off his chair and crawled under a car. “They tried to restrain him” but he ran off into the surrounding bushland, reports news.com.au, which adds that King had “relocated to Australia just two weeks ago”.
His disappearance was described as out of character by the Australian authorities.
“There was no intelligence to suggest why he left or where he went,” Victoria Police Sergeant Danny Brown said on Tuesday. “His behaviour took everyone by surprise. By all accounts he was a very fit, physically and mentally.”
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For a round-up of the most important stories from around the world - and a concise, refreshing and balanced take on the week’s news agenda - try The Week magazine. Start your trial subscription today –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
The BBC reports that search was made more difficult by the “thick vegetation, rocky clifftops and deep coastal waters in the region”.
Brown offered his condolences to King’s friends following the discovery of his body.
“They have suffered a trauma as well by losing their friend in the beginning and the worry that goes with that,” he said. “And now to have two friends formally identify one of their own, one of their good close friends and they have been friends for a lot of years, is traumatic on its own.”
-
Trump vs. states: Who gets to regulate AI?Feature Trump launched a task force to challenge state laws on artificial intelligence, but regulation of the technology is under unclear jurisdiction
-
Decking the hallsFeature Americans’ love of holiday decorations has turned Christmas from a humble affair to a sparkly spectacle.
-
Whiskey tariffs cause major problems for American distillersIn the Spotlight Jim Beam is the latest brand to feel the pain
-
Australia weighs new gun laws after antisemitic attackSpeed Read A father and son opened fire on Jewish families at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, killing at least 15
-
How Bulgaria’s government fell amid mass protestsThe Explainer The country’s prime minister resigned as part of the fallout
-
Femicide: Italy’s newest crimeThe Explainer Landmark law to criminalise murder of a woman as an ‘act of hatred’ or ‘subjugation’ but critics say Italy is still deeply patriarchal
-
Brazil’s Bolsonaro behind bars after appeals run outSpeed Read He will serve 27 years in prison
-
Americans traveling abroad face renewed criticism in the Trump eraThe Explainer Some of Trump’s behavior has Americans being questioned
-
Nigeria confused by Trump invasion threatSpeed Read Trump has claimed the country is persecuting Christians
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
