Sydney - A British teenager given up for dead after getting lost and wandering in dense forest in Australia for 12 days was released from hospital Friday after treatment for exposure and dehydration.

Jamie Neale, 19, was found alive and well Wednesday just 15 kilometres from where he went missing in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney. He disappeared July 3 after leaving his Katoomba youth hostel.

His father and uncle, who had flown out from London to join the search, were told the chances of finding him alive were slim. They learned of his miraculous survival while waiting at Sydney airport for a flight home and were rushed to his bedside at Katoomba.

The London lad thanked supporters and medical staff but didn't answer questions.

He and his father, Richard Cass, are reported to have sold their story to a local television network for 200,000 Australian dollars (160,000 US dollars).

"I'd like to thank everyone for their support, especially the staff at Blue Mountains Hospital," Neale said before being whisked away after two nights in hospital.

His story, which made headlines around the world, was so preposterous that some suggested he had faked his disappearance.

The Blue Mountains Police chief, Superintendent Tony McWhirter, vouched for the veracity of Neale's account.

"Everything gels," he said. "Everything that's been said puts him in areas, [and] he can describe some of the areas and locations that he's been in. There's nothing, nothing at all, to suggest this is anything other than the greatest tale of survival that we've ever seen in the mountains." (dpa)