Three men are being treated for severe dehydration in the Alice Springs Hospital after becoming distressed on the Larapinta Trail yesterday.

Police were notified of an activation of a distress beacon by hikers on the Larapinta Trail just before 6.30 last night.

Police coordinated a search for the men 55km west of Alice Springs, which involved local Northern Territory Parks and Wildlife Rangers.

It appears the three men aged in their 60s from Queensland were walking stage four of the Larapinta Trail when they contracted a gastro infection.

The men became severely dehydrated after running out of water during the day.

They continued to walk to find water but two of the men became too ill to continue walking at which point they activated their EPIRB distress beacon.

One of the men left the group to find water, but his condition deteriorated and he was found by rangers last night.

The man was taken to the Alice Springs Hospital to receive treatment while rangers continued on foot searching for the two other men.

Rangers found the two men severely dehydrated near Brinkley's Bluff shortly after midnight.

Due to the location, which had no vehicle access, and the condition of the men, rangers stayed overnight with them until a helicopter could be deployed to the area this morning.

The men were taken by helicopter to Namatjira Drive where an ambulance was waiting to take them to the Alice Springs Hospital, where they will receive further treatment.

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Chelsea Rogers
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