Emergency services are searching for seven people – five children and two elderly people – feared missing in floodwaters in remote WA.
The group hasn’t been seen since Sunday. WA police believe they left Kalgoorlie (about 600km east of Perth) for a ten-hour journey to the First Nations community of Tjuntjuntjara.
The commute crosses directly through flood-affected parts of the state.
The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has issued further flood warnings for the state’s South Interior district and northern regions. A potential cyclone is also expected later this week.
Remote WA
Remote WA has seen torrential downpours in recent days, leading to areas of flash flooding. Some parts of the state have recorded half a year’s worth of rainfall in 24 hours.
Much of that rain has fallen in remote areas with dirt roads, which has led to some communities being cut off.
Police hold “serious welfare concerns” for the seven people missing in remote WA and said they don’t know how much food and water they have. One adult is believed to be travelling on their own, while a second driver is travelling with five children aged seven to 17.
Warnings
The BOM has issued warnings for strong winds and intense rainfall for multiple regions in the state’s south and south-east.
The Eucla district is also facing possible “life-threatening flash flooding” and thunderstorm activity.
According the BOM, extreme weather of this nature is “not typical” in these regions.
A category two tropical cyclone is expected to develop off the Pilbara coast this Friday.
