02-08-2025
Search for missing Alice Springs man Gach Top in Central Australia deploys drones as more people 'lend a hand'
The search for missing Alice Springs man Gach Top has continued into its fifth day, with police and the SES using drones supplied by a local Larapinta trail guide.
The 26-year-old man went missing on Monday and his car was found abandoned 14.5 kilometres west of John Flynn's Grave Historical Reserve.
Police have described Mr Top as a 6-foot-tall man of Sudanese appearance with a lean build and short curly hair.
NT Police Acting Sergeant Christopher Grotherr said the earlier helicopter search had been scaled back in favour of drones, which had the advantage of being able to "really focus on specific areas".
He said the number of on-ground personnel searching the rugged terrain, west of Alice Springs, by foot remained the same.
Larapinta Trail Trek Support owner Zak Dragic, who has been rescuing hikers along the track for a decade, said the drones had a range of capabilities including thermal imaging.
He assisted police on Saturday, navigating the hilly, grassy terrain surrounding Larapinta Drive by flying drones close to the ground and into areas helicopters couldn't access.
A friend of Mr Top's family, Elia Mabok, has also joined search efforts.
Mr Mabok, a member of the local Sudanese community, brought along his dog David Kong to assist.
"We are a small community here in Alice Springs, and we all work with and know each other," he said.
Acting Sergeant Grotherr said police had also received "valuable" input from locals in the surrounding Indigenous communities and had collaborated with Aboriginal liaison officers through the search.
"They have been out here conducting searches for us and providing us some pretty valuable advice in where we might need to search," he said.
Acting Sergeant Grotherr said the search operation had been extensive and expanded into ravines, crevices and cracks in the area.
"I'm hopeful that something will come to light," he said.
He said police were confident they were deploying the best search methods.
"However, we are always mindful of potential changes to the information that we might have coming forward, and that could potentially change how we move forward if that comes to light," he said.
