A spectator at the Finke Desert Race in central Australia has been killed after a group of people were struck by a vehicle racing in the event, Northern Territory police have confirmed.
Police said in a statement that officers were called about 9.30am after receiving reports that the spectators had been hit around 35km from the race start line.
A “man in his 60s who was a spectator at the event and was struck by the vehicle has died at the scene”, police said. “No further information is available in relation to the person at this stage.”
Two other people, a man and a woman, both in their 50s, were also involved in the crash. The man in his 50s was also a spectator and was taken by helicopter to Alice Springs Hospital. Police said he was “seriously injured”.
The woman was the navigator of the vehicle involved in the accident and received only minor injuries.
Both were being treated at the Alice Springs hospital following the incident but NT Health said they were in a stable condition.
Held annually on the Queen’s Birthday June long weekend, the Finke Desert Race is an off-road two-day race through the desert from Alice Springs to the remote Aboriginal community of Aputula, also known as Finke. The race is a multi-vehicle event that includes bikes, cars, buggies and quads.
Northern Territory police said in a statement that investigations were still ongoing into the cause of the crash. They asked for any spectators who witnessed the incident, or who had dashcam footage, to contact police on 131 444.
Earlier the race organisers had announced the return leg of the bike category had been cancelled after an incident “approximately 35km down the track”.
They said NT police were “carrying out investigations at the scene of today’s incident”.
“Event organisers and emergency services are working with competitors and crews to return to Alice Springs safely,” the organisers said in a statement.
