Northern Territory Police are searching for a 60-year-old man believed to have been swept from the roof of a vehicle that became stuck in floodwaters near the remote community of Santa Teresa, south of Alice Springs, on Wednesday night.
Officers received a report at about 6:50am on Thursday that the man had been swept off the roof after the vehicle became stuck in a creek near Phillipson Bore Road at about 7pm the previous evening. A police spokesperson said the vehicle contained a man and a woman and "had become stuck in a creek, forcing the two occupants to seek refuge on the roof." "The man was subsequently swept off the roof and has not been seen since," the spokesperson said. The woman walked back to Santa Teresa, where she reported the man missing to police.
The disappearance came after a series of severe weather warnings, including for heavy rainfall, damaging winds and hail, were issued across Central Australia in recent days. Ellie Kamara, head of Santa Teresa's Atyenhenge Atherre Aboriginal Corporation, said the road to the community had been severely damaged by the rain, with about 45.5 millimetres falling near the community since Sunday. "That's huge for us," she said.
Ms Kamara said she had been trying to return to the community from Alice Springs on Tuesday night and had to be collected by someone in a large troop carrier vehicle to make it back on the damaged road. "The water in the creeks comes up really quickly, depending on where the rain is, and [on Tuesday night] nearly every single creek along the road came up," she said.
The Search and Rescue Section has been deployed, including resources from Santa Teresa and Alice Springs Police Stations, along with drone support and police divers, the spokesperson said. Police are urging anyone who may have seen or heard from the missing man to contact police on 131 444.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- A 60-year-old man is missing in floodwaters and search teams are trying to find him in difficult conditions.
- The incident shows how quickly creek crossings can become dangerous in Central Australia during severe weather, particularly on remote roads.
- It also highlights the impact of the recent rain on the Santa Teresa community, whose access road has been badly damaged.
Background
Santa Teresa, also known as Ltyentye Apurte, is a remote Aboriginal community of about 700 people roughly 80 kilometres south of Alice Springs. Heavy rain in Central Australia can cause normally dry creek beds to rise rapidly, cutting roads and creating hazards for drivers.
Key Perspectives
- Northern Territory Police: Say a man was swept from the roof of a vehicle that became stuck in a creek near Phillipson Bore Road, and a search involving drones and police divers is under way.
- Ellie Kamara, head of the Atyenhenge Atherre Aboriginal Corporation: Says the rain has severely damaged the road to Santa Teresa, with about 45.5 millimetres falling since Sunday, and that creek water comes up quickly.
What to Watch
- Whether search teams using drone support and police divers find the missing man.
- Whether further rain affects the already damaged road and creek crossings around Santa Teresa.
- Whether the severe weather warnings issued across Central Australia are extended or renewed.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedPolice are searching for a man believed to have been swept away in Central Australian floodwaters.Just In: “Northern Territory Police are searching for a 60-year-old man believed to have been swept away in floodwaters near the remote Aboriginal community of Santa Teresa, south of Alice Springs, late yesterday.”
- SupportedA woman walked back after the vehicle became stuck in a creek south of Alice Springs.Just In: “The police spokesperson said the woman was able to walk back to Santa Teresa, where she reported the man missing to police this morning.”
- SupportedThe missing man is 60 years old, and the incident occurred near Santa Teresa on Wednesday night.Just In: “Northern Territory Police are searching for a 60-year-old man believed to have been swept away in floodwaters near the remote Aboriginal community of Santa Teresa, south of Alice Springs, late yesterday.”
- SupportedPolice received a report at about 6:50am on Thursday, after the vehicle became stuck near Phillipson Bore Road at about 7pm the previous evening.Just In: “In a statement, a police spokesperson said aboutaround 6:50am today, officers received a report that a man had been swept off the roof of a vehicle that had "become stuck in floodwater" near Phillipson Bore Road at about 7pm.”
- SupportedThe police spokesperson said the vehicle contained a man and a woman and had become stuck in a creek, forcing them to take refuge on its roof.Just In: “"The vehicle contained a man and a woman and had become stuck in a creek, forcing the two occupants to seek refuge on the roof," the spokesperson said.”
- SupportedThe police spokesperson said the man was swept off the roof and had not been seen since.Just In: “"The man was subsequently swept off the roof and has not been seen since."”
- SupportedThe woman walked back to Santa Teresa and reported the man missing to police.Just In: “The police spokesperson said the woman was able to walk back to Santa Teresa, where she reported the man missing to police this morning.”
- SupportedA series of severe weather warnings, including for heavy rainfall, damaging winds and hail, had been issued across Central Australia in recent days.Just In: “The incident comes after a series of severe weather warnings — including for heavy rainfall, damaging winds and hail — were issued across Central Australia in recent days.”
- SupportedEllie Kamara, head of Santa Teresa's Atyenhenge Atherre Aboriginal Corporation, said about 45.5 millimetres of rain had fallen near the community since Sunday.Just In: “The head of Santa Teresa's Atyenhenge Atherre Aboriginal Corporation, Ellie Kamara, said the road to the community had been severely damaged by rain in recent days. She said about 45.5 millimetres of water had fallen near the community since Sunday.”
- SupportedKamara said, “That's huge for us.”Just In: “"That's huge for us," she said.”
- SupportedKamara said she had been trying to return from Alice Springs on Tuesday night and was collected in a large troop carrier to get back on the damaged road.Just In: “Ms Kamara said she had been trying to return home to the community from Alice Springs on Tuesday night, but had to be collected by someone in a large troop carrier vehicle to make it back on the damaged road.”
- SupportedThe police spokesperson said the Search and Rescue Section had been deployed, with resources from Santa Teresa and Alice Springs Police Stations, drone support and police divers.Just In: “"The Search and Rescue Section has been deployed to search for the man, including resources from Santa Teresa and Alice Springs Police Stations, along with drone support and police divers," the spokesperson said.”