Police fear a group of seven people, including four children, are missing in Western Australia’s flooded outback.
Three elderly people and four children aged between 12 and 17 left Kalgoorlie-Boulder on Sunday for the remote Aboriginal community of Tjuntjuntjara, but have not been seen since.
The group is from Tjuntjuntjara, 600km northeast of where they came from, and police were contacted on Monday when they did not return home.
Hundreds of millimeters of rain have fallen on the area in the past 48 hours, with the unusual weather conditions impacting the search.
“There are concerns due to the fact that we have had severe weather and rain and more is forecast over the next 24 hours and we have not been able to make contact with residents,” Police Inspector Mick Kelly told police. ABC.
Police in Western Australia have serious fears for a group of seven people, including four children, missing in the state’s flooded outback. One of the missing vehicles, a Mitsubishi Triton, is pictured
The other missing vehicle, a 1986 Toyota Landcruiser with plates A683, is pictured
‘Our air force was in action this morning and flew for an hour. Very simple: the plane cannot see through the clouds and therefore we could not locate them.
“It’s becoming too dangerous for the pilot.”
The group was thought to have only minimal supplies, with one of the cars carrying water and camping gear.
“We are hopeful that they have remained with the vehicle,” Inspector Kelly said.
The vehicles being sought are a 1986 Toyota Landcruiser with plates A683, and a white Mitsubishi Triton utility with KBC8881 plates.
Paupiyala Tjarutja Aboriginal Corporation CEO Jon Lark said the community is concerned.
“Unfortunately, we’ve lost touch with them, and with this extreme, actually an event in the last 25 years, we know they’re somewhere in the middle,” he said.
‘The police went as far as Zanthus and had to return.
‘We had a car drive 120 km from our side and had to turn back.’
Heavy rain has also forced the evacuation of a pastoral station on the Nullarbor.
Three elderly people and four children aged between 12 and 17 left Kalgoorlie-Boulder on Sunday for the remote Aboriginal community of Tjuntjuntjara, but have not been seen since.
A satellite image from the Bureau of Meteorology shows massive cloud cover over central and southern Western Australia
Chief Inspector Damien Pumphrey from the Goldfields region Department of Fire and Emergency Services said parts of the Eyre Highway – which connects WA to South Australia – were lashed by more than 180 millimeters of rain on Monday.
“While it is still raining, water levels along the highway have dropped a little so we can reopen the highway,” he said.
‘The plan is to keep the highway open until about 5 a.m. (WA time on Tuesday) during the day and the current intention is that unless the water recedes a little further we will close the highway at night for traffic safety and the road. users.
“We will be monitoring water levels in the area… if we are not confident it is safe overnight we will close it again.”