Arabic version: العثور على رجل ميتاً بعد البحث إثر فيضانات وسط أستراليا

According to ABC News, a 60-year-old man swept away by floodwater near Santa Teresa in Central Australia has been found dead after an extensive three-day search and rescue operation.

Northern Territory Police said the man’s body was located at 1:40pm on Saturday, about 10 kilometres from where he was swept from the roof of his vehicle on Phillipson Bore Road. The road is near the remote Aboriginal community of Santa Teresa, south of Alice Springs.

Police said the man had been travelling with a woman when their vehicle became stuck in a creek on Wednesday. The pair sought refuge on the car’s roof, but the man was washed away. The woman was able to walk to Santa Teresa and report him missing, prompting the search.

Northern Territory Emergency Service volunteers and the Police Air Wing assisted police as they searched difficult terrain. Police said their thoughts were with the man’s family and friends and that a report would be prepared for the coroner.

The death follows widespread downpours and thunderstorms in Central Australia during the week, with flooding at Uluru and rapidly rising local creeks reported.