Fremont man who disappeared hiking in India found alive

(KRON) — A Fremont man has been found alive — surviving more than a week alone in the Himalayas after getting injured while on a hike. His family is now asking for help paying for his medical bills as he recovers in a hospital in India.

KRON4 spoke with Samuel Vengrinovich’s sister to recount his miraculous story of survival.

A week after he was reported missing, Samuel was found collapsed at a village near the Himalayan mountains — injured and malnourished but alive.

“It makes me sad that he felt no one was looking for him, that he was alone, but of course, we were,” Samuel’s sister Natasha tells KRON4.

Natasha says that on June 6, Samuel was supposed to wrap up a two-day hike with a frend who turned back a little early. Samuel continued on the trail, expected to finish about 40 minutes later. But he never returned.

His hiking partner reported him missing two days later, leading to a massive search and rescue operation.

“He could see the helicopter, but it was just so far away,” Natasha said. “He could see trackers along the trail, but they were just so far away, and he could see a city in the distance, so he just kept walking toward that city along the stream. He gave himself encouragement every ten steps, like just keep going.”

Indian, Nepalese and Israeli teams searched for Samuel — a dual citizen of the U.S. and Israel but has been living in India for the last 8 months.

He later explained he fell and his injuries were so severe, yet he persevered.

“His wrist is broken, his ankle is fractured, he has bruises on knee, his forearm, his nose is fractured, and he walked for nine days without any food or water and ate insects along the way,” Natasha said.

His friends and family are grateful he was found, but Samuel now faces a long road to recovery.

“We’re still hurting, and I’m not going to be happy until he’s in my arms,” Natasha said.

There GoFundMe to help pay for Samuel’s medical expenses. As of now, it has raised more than $66,000.