A 60-year-old man was rescued by helicopter this morning after he became ill while hiking in Central Australia.
The Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Canberra alerted Northern Territory Police to an emergency beacon activation at 4:40pm yesterday.
Police established a Search and Rescue operation to the remote location on the Larapinta Trail west of Standley Chasm, with personnel from Police, NT Emergency Service and St John NT reaching the man shortly after 9:30pm. Police and paramedics stayed with the man overnight while a helicopter was chartered for a rescue at first light.
He was airlifted to Standley Chasm where a waiting ambulance transported him to Alice Springs Hospital.
Senior Sergeant Michael Potts said, “The hiker had a personal locator beacon which he activated when he realised he was in trouble. This probably saved his life.
“A number of hikers have suffered from heat stress recently on the trail and it is incredibly important that anyone heading out bush takes proper precautions and is prepared for the unexpected.”
