Police in Australia rescued a young couple who found themselves stranded for three days in a closed national park.
On Friday, April 18, a 21-year-old man and 19-year-old woman from the Tablelands region of Australia were traveling on closed roads in the country’s Cape Melville National Park when the vehicle they were driving became stuck in thick mud, according to local outlets 7News, 9News and Newsport Daily. They tried to get the car out themselves, but were unable to.
The park, according to Queensland’s Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation, is closed every year during its wet season from Dec. 1 to July 31. It remains unclear why the couple were in the park.
After the couple’s vehicle became stuck, they sent an emergency SOS message through their iPhone’s satellite connection — but it still took police in Hope Vale began days to find them, and their efforts were initially unsuccessful due to closed roads and wet terrain, according to 7News.
Rescuers eventually spotted the pair via helicopter on Monday, April 21, at 10 a.m. local time, according to 7News and Newsport. Then the pair, who were found with a few cuts and bruises, were transported back to Laura Police Station.
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In a statement to all three outlets, Special Constable Adam Tickner of the Queensland Police Service said the couple made the right move sticking with their vehicle throughout the entire ordeal.
“It was fortunate that these people had enough food and water to last a few days, however this is very challenging terrain, especially during the wet season,” Tickner said. “These roads are closed for a reason, and phone reception is limited.”
The Queensland Police Service later shared footage of the helicopter rescue to YouTube, showing an aerial view of the couple’s vehicle trapped in the roadway. A man and a women then approached rescuers, who shared part of the conversation via bodycam footage.
“The roads are closed, they’s the whole point,” one man could be heard saying, as another added: “You shouldn’t be in this area.”
Rescuers eventually encouraged the couple to grab “essential items” as they apparently loaded them up in the helicopter. In the footage, their truck’s back wheels appeared to be several inches deep in the dirt as they had a mini gas stove and other items set up in front of it.
The Queensland Police Service did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on Thursday, April 24.
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