A man is dead after he walked 30 miles in the blistering Australian Outback heat when his car broke down, police said Thursday.
The unidentified 60-year-old from Lenora was driving with his wife on Sunday to a remote cattle ranch named Windidda Station in the country's state of Western Australia when the car broke down, police told the Agence France-Presse.
The couple waited overnight but no rescuers passed by the desert-like area in the state's Northern Goldfields. The husband set out early Monday morning with a "small container of water" to seek help at the cattle ranch, Western Australia police said.
His wife stayed behind at the car with their three dogs and cat, The Independent reported. On Tuesday she also set out for the Windidda Station but was rescued by workers from another nearby station on Wednesday evening.
She arrived at Windidda and a group was formed to search for her husband. He was found dead late Wednesday less than two miles from the station, according to The Independent.
One of the couple's cats also died. The woman did not suffer any injuries.
Police have warned against the dangers of traveling Australia's massive arid outback, where temperatures in some areas Thursday reportedly soared to more than 100 degrees. In the event a car breaks down, it is better to stay with the vehicle instead of trekking the desert-like area.
"In remote areas, it is much easier for searchers to spot a vehicle from the air, than it is a person," Western Australia police told AFP. "If people end up in this type of predicament we advise them to try not to panic, and stay with their vehicle at all times."
An autopsy is to determine the victim's cause of death.
