Queensland rescue: Couple stranded in 40C heat stalked by croc after 4WD lost in flood waters

A couple have been saved from a harrowing holiday ordeal where their truck got swept away in crocodile-infested flood waters with their dogs inside, stranding them in 40C heat for days.

The couple wrote two large ‘SOS’ signs in the dirt, which were seen by a rescue crew flying above and led them to their location.

LifeFlight, a search and rescue organisation in Australia, said their crew based at Mount Isa, Queensland, rescued the couple yesterday.

The misery began as the couple tried driving across a river crossing, LifeFlight understood. They had just left Normanton, a seven-hour drive from Cairns, on Thursday.

A large wave of flood water overcame the 4WD while crossing the river, LifeFlight said.

“They [the couple] told [the] LifeFlight rescue crew they had to scramble out [of] the passenger window to escape.

“And the male driver had to swim back into the vehicle to free their two dogs before he could swim to shore.”

It left the couple stranded in the Gulf Country northwest of Staaten River National Park.

They suffered in 40C heat for three days before they were found.

An 'SOS' sign a couple wrote in the dirt in the Gulf Country in North West Queensland, Australia, after getting stranded when their 4WD was swept away by flood waters. Photo / LifeFlight

They had no food and were drinking from the river, LifeFlight said.

The couple did not have any mobile phones with them after their 4WD was lost, and there was no mobile coverage in the area anyway, LifeFlight said.

The organisation said a crocodile was stalking them for the two nights.

The pilot of the rescue chopper landed on the road beside the river and Queensland Ambulance Service flight paramedics checked the couple.

They were dehydrated and were suffering from exposure. They were flown to Normanton Hospital for further treatment.

Raphael Franks is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He joined the Herald as a Te Rito cadet in 2022.

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