A second person missing in the punishing Australian Outback for almost two weeks was rescued yesterday, while the search continued for their missing friend.
Northern Territory Police said Phu Tran was found by a livestock farmer south of Alice Springs. He was taken to a hospital to be treated for exposure.
Superintendent Pauline Vicary said Phu told the farmer he had survived after finding some water.
The trio set out from Alice Springs for an afternoon drive on Nov. 19 when their car got stuck in a riverbed in the arid region.
Tamra McBeath-Riley was found late Sunday near a waterhole where the trio had been staying. She received treatment in an Alice Springs hospital for dehydration.
The search continued for Claire Hockridge.
McBeath-Riley told officials that Phu and Hockridge began trekking toward a highway on Thursday, carrying water and walking at night to avoid the desert heat, which came close to 40 degrees Celsius in recent days.
McBeath-Riley said she decided to stay at the waterhole with a dog that she did not think would survive a walk to the Stuart Highway, which connects Australia’s north and south coasts. They did not know anyone was looking for them.
Vicary said searchers had found one set of footprints.
“It’s quite a diverse terrain. There’s sandy dunes, there’s hard clay, there’s areas of dense trees, but there are also rocks and ranges in the area,” she said.
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