Missing family found after dogged search in WA outback

Seven people, including four children and three elderly people, have been found after they went missing on Sunday in the flooded outback.

A family of seven who went missing in regional Western Australia have been found after a dogged search through the flood-ridden outback.

Arrangements have been made by emergency services to rescue the travellers.

“Provisions will be provided in the interim,” police said in a statement.

A deluge of rain earlier hindered emergency services from using air assets to search for the missing people, but a break in the weather finally allowed them to resume on Wednesday afternoon.

Police Air Wing, the local Kalgoorlie helicopter and air services were deployed to search the vast area between Kalgoorlie Boulder and Tjuntjuntjarra Aboriginal Community.

Seven people, including four children and three elderly people, went missing on Sunday after leaving Kalgoorlie Boulder in two vehicles between 10am and 2pm.

But on Tuesday morning, police said extreme weather in the region had prevented the search from the sky.

A missing family in outback WA have been located. Picture: WA Police

“As soon as the weather improves, an air asset will be deployed,” police said at the time.

“At this time, road conditions are dangerous, particularly in relation to the route we believe the people have taken.

“Motorists travelling in the Goldfields area are urged to check the Main Roads and Bureau of Meteorology sites for current information on road conditions.”

Since the weekend, hundreds of millimetres of rain has swamped the region and has cut off WA’s only sealed road link to South Australia, the Eyre Highway, isolating the state from the rest of the country.

Both of the vehicles are understood to be travelling from Kalgoorlie Boulder to Tjuntjuntjarra, about 650km north east of Kalgoorlie.

The first vehicle is a beige coloured Toyota LandCruiser registration number A683, believed to be driven by an elderly driver.

Police have serious welfare concerns for the occupants of two vehicles that are believed to have left Kalgoorlie Boulder on Sunday between 10am and 2pm. Picture: WA Police

The second vehicle is a white Mitsubishi Triton registration number KBC8881, believed to be driven by an elderly driver.

One adult and four children aged between seven and 17 are understood to be the passengers.

Police hold “serious concerns” for the welfare of the missing people due to the severe weather.

It is also not known how much food and water they have among them.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Kalgoorlie Police Station on 9021 9777 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Originally published as Missing family found after dogged search in WA outback