Mystery of 'SOS' sign spotted in remote Australia stumps police
Police in Australia are investigating a huge “SOS” sign – made of rocks - which was spotted by a helicopter pilot in the outback and prompted fears that a person or persons could be missing.
The distress signal was found at Swift Bay, an inaccessible area in the remote Kimberley region in Western Australia.
The nearest police station to the sign is in Kalumburu, an Aboriginal community more than 70 miles away.
Police chartered a helicopter to visit the area and found a campsite but no people.
"We've done a ground search and aerial search of the area and there are indications that there may have been someone camped there at one point in time, but it's just not clear how long ago that was," said Senior Sergeant Peter Reeves.
"We're asking for anyone if they have any knowledge [of] the person who may have been in distress and may have made that sign, if they can contact us.
Police in Western Australia have appealed for any information about the SOS sign.
“Kalumburu Police wish to speak to anyone who may have been in the Swift Bay (Kimberley) area over the past few months who can assist them with locating the person(s) who made an SOS sign,” police said in a statement on Facebook.
In July 2015, Geoff Keys, a 63-year-old British tourist, was lost in a remote area of Queensland and was found after he wrote a distress signal – “HELP 2807 –>” - in the sand.
“[I] found a stick and wrote a message in the sand, just in case the helicopter came down that way,” he told the Brisbane Times. “Help, today's date and my direction of travel.”
Police spotted the sign from the air and said the message helped to save the man’s life.
