WA: Missing group safe, police count search cost

AAP General News (Australia)
02-02-2000
WA: Missing group safe, police count search cost

By Andrea Mayes

PERTH, Feb 2 AAP - Five people including an eight months pregnant woman have been found
safe after a two-day search in rugged outback, but police accused the group of ignoring
basic survival rules.

Karen Glass, her partner Peter Breese, their two daughters aged two and five and family
friend Tonia Benton failed to return from a fishing trip on Sunday in Western Australia's
harsh north-west.

There had been fears Ms Glass would go into stress-induced labour and an intensive
aerial search was mounted, using four aircraft.

Police sergeant Ron Clarke said the group, from Port Hedland, had become bogged but
had managed to make their way to a waterhole.

They were found there at around 1am today by friends, who had mounted their own search
using four-wheel-drive vehicles.

He said police were unable to find them from the air because they had become lost off
the main track they were originally thought to be on, about 100km east of Port Hedland
near the De Grey River.

Police had not mounted a vehicle search because the area they were lost in was too
vast and it was not known exactly where to look.

"They had only minimal supplies with them and their water was running very low by the
time they were found," he said.

Sgt Clarke said they were lucky to have been found since they had not told anyone of their plans.

"They've learnt a lot of lessons from this the hard way," he said.

"It would have been so much easier if they'd taken basic precautions like telling someone
exactly where they were going and the time they were due back."

He said the group had taken no communications equipment with them, no food and no shovels
or car jacks.

Their four-wheel-drive vehicle had become bogged on Sunday and they had managed to
free themselves only late yesterday after digging the car out by hand.

"The area had dried out considerably after the heavy rains and they had planned to
stay overnight at the waterhole and try to drive back home today," Sgt Clarke said.

They had been listening to the radio and were aware that a search had been mounted for them.

Sgt Clarke said six officers had worked full-time on the search and a plane had been
sent up from Perth, making it an expensive excercise.

He said costs could exceed $10,000.

AAP alm/sd/ej/bwl

KEYWORD: BOGGED FOUND LEAD

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