Four boats have been intercepted by maritime authorities in Western Australia‘s far north, according to a local tourism operator.
Peter Tucker said he and three other residents found the boats at Kuri Bay yesterday afternoon and alerted the authorities.
Tucker guided them to the vessels this morning with the help of other residents including traditional owner Adrian Lane, Robyn Mungulu and Christabell Oobagooma.
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“We found them in the mangroves,” Tucker told 9News.com.au.
Tucker estimated there were 40 men in the vessels, with 10 people in each boat.
”They looked very young, in their 20s and 30s,” he said.
He said authorities took charge and processed the boats.
The Australian Border Force (ABF) was contacted for comment on Tuesday night.
Tucker said the community spotted boats along the coastline “for the last few months” but it was unclear where they were from.
“Their presence is obvious to us when we do move around on this coastline,” he said.
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