Missing man found dead at desert waterhole

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A Victorian man has died after spending 24 hours missing in outback New South Wales.

Two men and a woman went missing around noon on Tuesday when their car broke down about an hour from Broken Hill.

Police say they received a triple-0 call that afternoon from a woman who said she was lost.

The line dropped out before officers could get more information, but they traced the call to Mutawintji National Park.

On Wednesday morning, the woman walked to the homestead of a nearby cattle station and a short time later police found the 33-year-old man dead at a watering hole.

The other man was found alive nearby.

Broken Hill police Superintendent Brad Hodder says the woman appeared to be in good health.

"About 9:40am we confirmed that the missing female of the party had been located," he said.

"She walked into Acacia Downs around that time and she appears to be in good health. She is currently assisting us with our inquiries in relation to the other two missing persons."

Inspector Hodder would not say how the man died, but he said no-one had been arrested.

"The matter is subject to a coronial inquiry and that will determine the investigation," he said.

He said it was not clear why the three split up.

The surviving man and the woman have been released from Broken Hill Hospital.

Map: Mutawintji National Park

Topics: missing-person, community-and-society, police, broken-hill-2880, vic