Police search for man who arrived in ‘unknown vessel’ in WA

A search is under way for a man believed to have arrived in Western Australia by boat with a group of people on Friday.

The man was thought to have become separated from the group near Mitchell Plateau, in the far northern reaches of the remote Kimberley region.

WA police said they were advised on Saturday the man may have been a passenger on an “unknown vessel”.

Police said the land search operation was in its preliminary stages and was taking place in an extremely remote area with challenging terrain.

The Australian has reported the group, understood to be 15 people, were Chinese nationals that had arrived at the remote Mungalalu Truscott Airbase.

A group of 39 people from Pakistan and Bangladesh were found at Beagle Bay, north of Broome, in February after they arrived in WA by boat.

The group was flown to an offshore detention centre on the Pacific island of Nauru.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton used the arrival of the 39 people to accuse Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of having lost control of the country’s borders.

The Australian Border Force has been contacted for confirmation of the latest boat arrival.

A spokesperson for Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil said, as a long-standing practice, they do not confirm or comment on operational matters.

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