West Australian police are searching for a man believed to have become separated from a group of people who arrived in Western Australia on an “unknown vessel”.
The force said it was searching for the man in “challenging terrain” in the vicinity of Mitchell Plateau in the far northern reaches of the remote Kimberley region.
Police have been advised the man might have been a passenger on an unknown vessel carrying a group of people who landed in a remote area of the Kimberley district on Friday.
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Media reports said the group was thought to comprise 15 people who were being treated by authorities as illegal arrivals.
The Australian Border Force said in a statement it did not confirm or comment on operational matters.
Police said on Saturday the land search was in its preliminary stages and was taking place in an extremely remote area.
The latest arrivals come after a group of 39 people from Pakistan and Bangladesh were found at Beagle Bay, north of Broome, in February after they also came by boat.
The group was flown to an offshore detention centre on the Pacific island of Nauru.
