Teenagers Rescued in Western Australia After Drawing 'HELP' in Sand

Three teenagers stranded near Kalbarri were rescued after creating a large distress signal in the sand, leading to a successful rescue operation involving multiple authorities and a Challenger jet providing GPS coordinates.

Three teenagers stranded in a remote part of Western Australia were rescued on Saturday, June 1, 2024, after drawing a large distress signal in the sand. Their vehicle became bogged in the Hutt Lagoon area, south of Kalbarri, around noon. Lacking a four-wheel-drive recovery kit or a personal locator beacon, the teenagers resourcefully wrote "HELP" in the sand to attract attention.

A pilot noticed the distress signal at 3 PM local time and notified authorities. Shortly after, a second report was made by another pilot. Kalbarri Police, the Mid West-Gascoyne Traffic Unit, and the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) coordinated a rescue operation. AMSA used a Challenger jet to provide GPS coordinates to the police.

The teenagers were stranded for about six hours before being located and driven to Lucky Bay, where they reunited with their family and friends. Their vehicle remains unrecovered due to the challenging terrain. The teenagers were unharmed.

This incident follows similar rescues in the region, including a South Australian couple and a group of eight people who were stranded in remote areas in recent months.