Mutawintji National Park ... Emergency services are searching for a group of people believed to be lost in the desert. Photo: Hamilton Lund/Tourism NSW
A woman who called triple-0 yesterday saying she was lost in the desert north-east Broken Hill is safe and well, but two men who were travelling with her remain missing, police say.
The woman, who is in her 20s, walked into the small town of Acacia Downs about 9.45am on Wednesday, police said. The town is about 80 kilometres from Broken Hill and 80 kilometres from Mutawintji National Park, where the woman was believed to have become lost.
"She's in good health, considering what she's been through," a police spokeswoman said.
Rescuers are searching for a group of people believed to be lost in Mutawintji National Park. View Larger Map
But the woman, who was not identified by police, said two men she was travelling with - one in his 20s and one in his 30s - were still in the desert near a water hole or water tank, the spokeswoman said.
Emergency services resumed their search for the trio this morning after the woman's triple-0 call about noon on Tuesday. She told the triple-0 operator she was lost about one hour from Broken Hill. Her line dropped out and emergency services were unable to reach her again, police said.
After an extensive search lasting several hours, police said her call was traced to Mutawintji National Park, which is about 150 kilometres north-east of Broken Hill.
A car was spotted after a flyover but when rescuers reached it by land about 8pm, no one was found, police said.
A police spokeswoman said this afternoon that the sedan was spotted in a "very remote, rugged area". The car was about 15 to 20 kilometres from Acacia Downs.
Barrier Local Area Command officers spoke to the woman's family on Tuesday.
The search was suspended later due to poor light and resumed this morning. It was being led by local police and seven State Emergency Service (SES) officers from its Broken Hill unit were assisting with the search, an SES spokeswoman said.
It is not known if the group was carrying an emergency beacon.
The national park, which is about 800 kilometres west of Sydney, is described by NSW National Parks as located in a "ruggedly beautiful desert region" dominated by the Bynguano Ranges. Visitors can explore the park using walking trails, by four-wheel-drive and are allowed to camp overnight.
The temperature in the park in November ranges between 18 to 33 degree Celsius, with average monthly rainfall of about 20mm, National Parks said.
Temperatures in the areas near Broken Hill were about 10 degrees or above last night, Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Chris Webb said. The maximum temperature in Broken Hill on Tuesday was 28 degrees, he added.
Visitors to the park are advised to bring adequate food supplies and to boil the available bore water. They are also advised to stay with their vehicle if it breaks down, inform others of their itinerary, register with the ranger, carry extra supplies and to prepare for extremely hot conditions during the summer.
No comments:
Post a Comment