German backpacker found alive after 12 days missing in Australian outback, World News
Carolina Wilga, who vanished on June 29 from near the outback town of Beacon, about 254 km (157 miles) north of Western Australia state capital Perth, was found by a passing motorist on a road in the region on Friday (July 11), police said.
"This is a huge relief for her family and all of her loved ones," Detective Jessica Securo said on Saturday in a media conference televised from Perth.
"To find Carolina safe and well is a fantastic result."
Wilga was airlifted to a Perth hospital, where she was stable on Saturday, authorities said.
The backpacker was "ravaged by mosquitoes" during her time stranded in the hostile terrain and was found exhausted, dehydrated and with cuts and bruises, police said.
A large-scale search was initiated for Wilga after her vehicle was found abandoned in the state's sparsely populated Wheatbelt region, which spans 154,862 square km.
Wilga planned to continue her travels in Australia once recovered, authorities said.
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CNA
43 minutes ago
- CNA
German backpacker escapes 11-night Australian bush ordeal
SYDNEY: German backpacker Carolina Wilga drank water from puddles and sheltered in a cave before escaping an 11-night ordeal in the Australian bush, police said on Saturday (Jul 12). The 26-year-old walked "confused and disorientated" 24km away from her van after it got stuck in remote bushland in Western Australia. The backpacker had lost hope of being rescued, police said. But on Friday, she managed to flag down a woman who drove her to police in the agricultural community of Beacon, northeast of Perth. Wilga was airlifted to a Perth hospital for treatment. "She spent 11 nights exposed to the elements and survived by consuming the minimal food supplies she had in her possession, and drinking water from rain and puddles," Western Australia police said in a statement. "She sought shelter at night where possible, including in a cave." Wilga was suffering from exhaustion, dehydration, sunburn, "extensive insect bites" and an injured foot, police said. The driver who spotted her, Tania Henley, told public broadcaster ABC that she saw Wilga waving her hands by the side of the road. She appeared to be in a "fragile state", bitten by midges and suffering from the cold. "Everything in this bush is very prickly. I just can't believe that she survived. She had no shoes on, she'd wrapped her foot up," Henley said. The rescue was down to "sheer luck", Western Australia police acting inspector Jessica Securo told a news conference in Perth after speaking to Wilga. "She is still in disbelief that she was able to survive. In her mind, she had convinced herself that she was not going to be located," said Securo. "She basically looked at the direction of the sun and tried to head west, thinking that that would be her best bet of coming across someone or a road." Wilga told police she was "very confused and disorientated". Until her rescue, she had been last seen on Jun 29 arriving in the van at a general store in Beacon. "DANGEROUS" A police search spotted the van on Thursday, abandoned in dense bushland north of Beacon with plastic orange traction tracks placed beneath the rear wheels. "It appears that she has somewhat lost control of the vehicle, and then it's become mechanically unsound, and bogged," Securo said. She stayed with the van for one day before leaving the vehicle through "panic", hoping to find help. Wilga was "overwhelmed" to have found someone to help her. "She had minimal food and minimal water. From speaking to her, she has said she could have planned better," Securo said. The terrain can be "quite dangerous", she added. Wilga remained in hospital and was not expected to be released on Saturday, still needing "emotional support" and treatment for some injuries. "She's had a good night's sleep. She's had a shower. We've got her some food, which was a massive relief for her. So she's just taking it one day at a time at the moment," Securo said. The backpacker is now in "frequent communication" with her family who are relieved and thankful that the Western Australian community came together to "throw every resource at locating their daughter". The family had no plans at this stage to travel to Australia. Police say Wilga had spent two years backpacking around the country and was working at mine sites in Western Australia while staying mostly at hostels. "Carolina has told me that she loves Australia. She still has so much travel to do here. She hasn't made it over to the east coast yet, so that's still on her bucket list," said Securo.
Straits Times
4 hours ago
- Straits Times
German backpacker escapes Australian bush ordeal by ‘sheer luck'
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Police in Western Australia released images of Ms Carolina Wilga visiting a convenience store before she went missing. SYDNEY - German backpacker Carolina Wilga lost hope of rescue after 11 nights in the Australian bush, and only made it out by 'sheer luck', police said on July 12. The 26-year-old walked 'confused and disoriented' 24km away from her van after it got stuck in remote bushland in Western Australia. As police searched for her by air, the backpacker's ordeal ended on July 11 when she managed to flag down a woman driving by, who took her to police. She was airlifted to a Perth hospital for treatment. 'She is still in disbelief that she was able to survive. In her mind, she had convinced herself that she was not going to be located,' said Ms Jessica Securo, acting inspector for the Western Australia police. The rescue was down to 'sheer luck'. 'I actually spoke to Carolina this morning, so she confirmed that she was very confused and disorientated,' Ms Securo told a news conference. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Asia Air India crash report shows pilot confusion over engine switch movement Singapore More NSFs may be recruited to tackle scams: Police Business F&B operators face tougher business landscape amid rising costs and stiff competition Multimedia Which floor is this? Chongqing's maze-like environment powers its rise as a megacity Life At 79, she can do 100 pull-ups: Why more seniors are hitting the gym Life The rise of Tupai King, the rage of weather: How durian season is changing Asia Search underway in Bali waters for missing Saudi tourist Life Hear Me Out: What I wish my parents knew before I was diagnosed with ADHD 'She basically looked at the direction of the sun and tried to head west, thinking that that would be her best bet of coming across someone or a road.' Ms Wilga had been last seen on June 29 arriving in the van at a general store in the small agricultural community of Beacon, north-east of Perth. Police found the van on July 9, abandoned after getting stuck in dense bushland north of Beacon, with plastic orange traction tracks placed beneath the rear wheels. 'It appears that she has somewhat lost control of the vehicle, and then it's become mechanically unsound, and bogged,' Ms Securo said. She stayed with the van for one day before leaving the vehicle through 'panic', hoping to find help. Ms Wilga was found 'exhausted, dehydrated and hungry', suffering from cuts and bruises, but 'overwhelmed' to have found someone to help her. 'She had minimal food and minimal water. From speaking to her, she has said she could have planned better.' The terrain 'can be quite dangerous', Ms Securo added. Ms Wilga remained in a Perth hospital and was not expected to be released on July 12, still needing 'emotional support' and treatment for some injuries. 'She's had a good night's sleep. She's had a shower. We've got her some food, which was a massive relief for her. So she's just taking it one day at a time at the moment.' The backpacker is now in 'frequent communication' with her family who are relieved and thankful the Western Australian community came together to 'throw every resource at locating their daughter', Ms Securo said. The family had no plans at this stage to travel to Australia. Police say Ms Wilga had spent two years backpacking around the country, and was working at mine sites in Western Australia while staying mostly at hostels. 'Carolina has told me that she loves Australia. She still has so much travel to do here. She hasn't made it over to the east coast yet, so that's still on her bucket list.' AFP
AsiaOne
5 hours ago
- AsiaOne
German backpacker found alive after 12 days missing in Australian outback, World News
SYDNEY - Australian authorities said they found a 26-year-old German backpacker "safe and well" after she had been missing in a remote part of the country's northwest for almost two weeks. Carolina Wilga, who vanished on June 29 from near the outback town of Beacon, about 254 km (157 miles) north of Western Australia state capital Perth, was found by a passing motorist on a road in the region on Friday (July 11), police said. "This is a huge relief for her family and all of her loved ones," Detective Jessica Securo said on Saturday in a media conference televised from Perth. "To find Carolina safe and well is a fantastic result." Wilga was airlifted to a Perth hospital, where she was stable on Saturday, authorities said. The backpacker was "ravaged by mosquitoes" during her time stranded in the hostile terrain and was found exhausted, dehydrated and with cuts and bruises, police said. A large-scale search was initiated for Wilga after her vehicle was found abandoned in the state's sparsely populated Wheatbelt region, which spans 154,862 square km. Wilga planned to continue her travels in Australia once recovered, authorities said. [[nid:621926]]
