'Laos jungle' Aussie now ill in hospital

(AAP) A 40-year-old Victorian man lost in the Laotian jungle for 11 days remains seriously ill in a Bangkok hospital after being evacuated by helicopter, Australian authorities say.

The man went missing after setting out on a short walk to a waterfall in a nationalpark in Laos's Khammouane province on July 31.

"He is in a serious but stable condition receiving treatment," a Department ofForeign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) spokesman said on Wednesday.

"The Australian Embassy in Bangkok is providing the man with consular assistance, including regular visits to him in hospital."DFAT is also communicating with the man's family in Australia.

The Australian Embassy in Vientiane was notified the 40-year-old was missing on August 8 and two staff immediately travelled to the area to help coordinate searchefforts.

However, heavy rain and flooding hampered efforts on the ground and it was not until a helicopter search was conducted two days later that the man was found andevacuated to Bangkok.

Four people died in Laos last week as a result of flooding caused by record highwater levels in the Mekong River.