Overview

• Kye Martin was spotted alive on Saturday afternoon by a WA Police helicopter after his branch-and-leaf shelter and the letters “KYE” in the clearing drew the crew’s attention.
• Ground teams from Kalgoorlie Police, the WA Police Emergency Operations Unit and Tactical Response Group supported the Air Wing in a 24-hour search that began when Martin’s family reported him missing.
• Paramedics assessed Martin at Kalgoorlie Airport before he was reunited with his family, marking the end of his roughly one-day ordeal in the outback.
• WA Police urged travellers in remote areas to research road and weather conditions, carry adequate supplies and leave clear distress signals if they become lost.
• The case underscores the life-saving impact of improvised signaling and coordinated air-and-ground operations in Australia’s harsh desert terrain.