A missing couple stuck near crocodile-infested waters for 26 hours on a fishing trip gone wrong was saved after they spelled “HELP” in the mud and lit a fire to grab the attention of their rescuers.
According to theAustralian Broadcasting Corporation, Shantelle Johnson and Colen Nulgit, along with their puppy, Ace, drove out to Keep River National Park in the Northern Territory of Australia on Sunday for a day of fishing. But during the trip, the couple’s SUV got stuck in the park’s marshy land, not far from a collection of crocodile tracks they had spotted earlier.
“There are saltwater crocodiles in all waterways in the Keep River National Park,” reads a description of the park on a governmentwebsite. “Do not swim and ‘Be Crocwise’ at all times.”
“We were stuck on the marshland and we were right next to saltwater,” Nulgit said in an interview with the news station. “We stayed in the first night and then we saw the water rising. We grabbed everything and took it about 20, 30 meters from the car.”
Johnson added, “We were pretty scared and worried, but we were just hoping someone would come.”
Fortunately, Johnson and Nulgit told family members where they were headed, and when the couple didn’t return on Sunday, their relatives alerted police.
Western Australia Police Force
When the couple heard the plane approaching in the distance, they lit a spot fire and scrawled “HELP” in the mud. They also etched a large arrow pointing to their vehicle, just to be sure.
“There were thoughts like that going through our heads but we had to think positive,” Nulgit toldABCof being rescued after 26 hours. “When they [the rescuers] came a bit lower to the ground, we jumped out of the car and started to wave them down.”
“It was overwhelming, emotional. Yeah, we were pretty happy that we’d made it,” he continued.
Police applauded the couple for telling family members their schedule and where they were going — if not, it may have taken much longer to find them, if at all.
“It could have been a different story if they hadn’t done that,” Acting Sergeant Dean Andrzejaczek of the Kununurra Police Department told the outlet.
source: people.com
