A young couple who went missing in an isolated and crocodile-infested part of North Australia etched ‘HELP’ into the ground to summon rescuers after their truck became stuck in the mud during a fishing trip, in scenes reminiscent of a film.
Shantelle Johnson and her partner Colen Nulgit, who said they were afraid of attracting saltwater crocodiles, sparked an air and land search near the Western Australian border.
Search teams rescued the couple and their puppy, Ace, on Monday afternoon after they were missing for 26 hours.
Johnson said that the couple, from Kununurra in East Kimberly, tried to put things under the tyres to loosen the car but the vehicle wouldn’t move.
The couple spent Sunday night in their vehicle, but got little sleep after they spotted crocodile tracks and worried that the tide would bring in the reptiles.
Nulgit said: “We stayed in the car the first night and then we saw the water rising.
“We grabbed everything and took it about 20, 30 metres from the car.”
The couple, who had little food, had fortunately told family where they were going and when to expect them back, ABC reported.
“It could have been a different story”
When the couple spotted the rescuers, they jumped out of their car and waved them down.
“It was overwhelming, emotional yeah... we were pretty happy that we’d made it.”
Western Australia Police praised the couple for staying with their vehicle and alerting family members beforehand.
Acting Sergeant Dean Andrzejaczek said: “It could have been a different story if they hadn’t done that.”
According to ABC, Nulgit has said he will invest in car recovery equipment for next time.