A 25-year-old man who went missing in bushland east of Alice Springs yesterday has been found safe and well.

The man was spotted by a search helicopter just after 11am this morning after an extensive air and ground search of the area. Police and NTES volunteers searched a wide area from where the man was reported to have last been seen at 7am yesterday.

He apparently wandered off from the Undoolya Road location eight kilometres east of Alice Springs when the car in which he was travelling became stuck on a sandy ridge. The man's friend remained with the vehicle until it was towed back onto the road about two hours later.

The alarm was raised when police received a call from the missing man's mobile phone about 11am yesterday. A ground search was mounted to try to locate the man after he told police he had become lost.

The man's friend notified police around 5pm of the exact location he was last seen and an air search was mounted until last light yesterday. The air and ground search continued today until just after 11am when police spotters in the helicopter located the man just north of Emily Gap.

He was recovered fit and well and the search was disbanded.


Media contact:
Theresa Kuilboer
8951 8825
0419 803 603