"Thank god you're here": Couple rescued after 3-day ordeal
A couple in their 50s have been rescued after spending days stranded in Queensland.
The couple and their two dogs were stuck for three days in the remote Gulf of Carpentaria, north-west of Staaten River National Park, after getting swept away in flood waters.
It is believed their 4WD was overcome by a large wave at a river crossing, when they managed to escape the vehicle through the passenger side window and make it to shore.
The man then swam back into croc-infested waters to free their two dogs.
The couple and their animals then had to battle no reception and no food for three days, drinking water from the river to get them through.
They scrawled "SOS" in the sand, with the distress message eventually being seen by a LifeFlight helicopter from the air.
They were airlifted to hospital and treated for dehydration and exposure, alongside their two dogs.
It was experienced New Zealand pilot Michael Adair's first week working at LifeFlight and he said the couple had lost hope they would be rescued.
"They said, 'Thank god you're here, we didn't think anyone was coming,'" he told the ABC.
"The wife had told us she had been hearing voices in the bush from exposure and had convinced herself that nobody was coming to help them, so she was very emotional when we hugged her."
He added that the couple were in good spirits when the helicopter arrived.
"These people had resigned themselves to dying and seeing the look on their faces when they saw us and realised they weren't going to die — that's the reason we do this," he said.
"They were very happy and jovial to see us and then the reality of the fact that hey … they're about to be rescued — that's when the emotion welled up."
Image credits: LifeFlight