Man Stranded in Outback Dies a Mile From Safety

An Australian man is dead after walking nearly 29 miles on a steaming hot, lonely Outback road. The unidentified 60-year-old and a female companion were driving to the Windidda Station cattle ranch near the remote town of Wiluna when their car broke down on Sunday, police say. The pair camped overnight, hoping to flag down a passing car. When none had come by early Monday, the man began the 30-mile trek to Windidda with just a "small container of water," the AP reports. He didn't return a day later, so the woman set out after him. She was found yesterday by workers from the nearby Wongawol Station, who took her to her destination, ABC News reports. Her companion had not arrived.

Workers began a search and discovered the Leonora man's body on the side of the road, a little over a mile from Windidda, police say. It isn't clear when he died. Though a coroner has yet to determine the cause of death, police say there are no suspicious circumstances; Temperatures reached 106 degrees in Wiluna on the day he began his journey. Police are now reminding Outback travelers to pack plenty of food and water and to stick by a vehicle if they get lost or are unable to continue as vehicles are far easier to spot from the air than humans, WA Today reports. (The story of a boy who spent nine weeks in the Outback has a happier ending.)