German backpacker escapes Australian outback ordeal by 'sheer luck'
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 Saturday.
The 26-year-old walked "confused and disoriented" 24 kilometers 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 Friday 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 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," Securo told a news conference. "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 had been last seen on June 29 arriving in the van at a general store in the small agricultural community of Beacon, northeast of Perth.
Police found the van on Thursday, 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," Securo said.
She stayed with the van for one day before leaving the vehicle through "panic", hoping to find help.
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", Securo added.
Wilga remained in a Perth 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."
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", Securo said.
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."
© 2025 AFP
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Japan Today
10 hours ago
- Japan Today
French town withdraws pop festival funding over Kneecap appearance
Kneecap singer Mo Chara -- French town Saint Cloud has withdrawn its subsidy for one of France's biggest festivals because of the group's appearance A town that hosts one of France's biggest pop festivals is withdrawing its subsidy to the event because controversial Irish rappers Kneecap had been booked to play. British police are investigating Kneecap's lead singer under a terror offense after he was accused of displaying a Hezbollah flag at a concert last year. The Lebanese militant group is banned in Britain. Police said they are also investigating videos allegedly showing calls for the death of British lawmakers. The Paris suburb of Saint Cloud approved a 40,000-euro ($46,500) subsidy this year for the Rock En Seine festival that last year attracted 180,000 people over four days. The town council said the money had been agreed before the lineup was announced. Kneecap are to appear at the event on August 24. Saint Cloud said its council had now voted to withdraw the subsidy. A statement said the town "finances, within its means, a cultural and artistic project. On the other hand it does not finance political action, nor demands, and even less calls to violence, such as calls to kill lawmakers, whatever their nationality." The town said it respects the festival's "freedom" to decide its lineup and had not sought "any kind of negotiation with the aim of influencing the program". Kneecap have been taken off the bill for festivals in Scotland and Germany this year because of the controversy. The group have said they are committed to the Palestinian cause but have denied any terrorism connection. Singer Liam O'Hanna, who appears under the name Mo Chara, has condemned the charges against him as political. O'Hanna is to appear in court again four days before the Rock En Seine show. © 2025 AFP
Japan Today
a day ago
- Japan Today
South Korea's ex-president indicted for abuse of power
Former president Yoon Suk Yeol arriving at a court hearing in Seoul in early July Disgraced South Korean ex-president Yoon Suk Yeol was indicted for abuse of power Saturday over his declaration of martial law last year, as investigators widened an insurrection probe. Yoon plunged South Korea into a political crisis when he sought to subvert civilian rule on December 3, sending troops to parliament in a bid to prevent lawmakers voting down his declaration of martial law. He became the first sitting president in the country to be taken into custody when he was detained in January after resisting arrest for weeks, using his presidential security detail to thwart investigators. He was released on procedural grounds in March, even as his trial on insurrection charges continued. Last week he was detained again after an arrest warrant was issued over concerns he might destroy evidence in the case. The prosecution "indicted former President Yoon Suk Yeol on charges including abuse of power and obstruction of special official duties", prosecutor Park Ji-young told reporters Saturday. Park said Yoon also did not follow the required procedure to declare martial law, including holding a meeting with all cabinet members of the government. Yoon was also charged with "drafting and discarding a false document" that stated the prime minister and defense minister had endorsed martial law. Yoon has refused to attend questioning since he was detained, but appeared in court on Friday at a hearing to argue for his warrant to be cancelled. The ex-president's legal team told reporters that Yoon defended himself for over 30 minutes, and mentioned his "limited physical mobility and the challenges he was facing". The court denied the request. Yoon is being held in solitary in a cell which has a fan but no air-conditioning, as a heat wave grips South Korea. © 2025 AFP
Japan Today
3 days ago
- Japan Today
Iraq shopping mall fire kills more than 60
Onlookers gather in front of a shopping mall in the eastern Iraqi city of Kut after a fire tore through it, killing at least 60 people By Christy-Belle Geha A fire tore through a newly opened shopping mall in the eastern Iraqi city of Kut overnight, killing at least 61 people, authorities said Thursday, as grief-stricken families searched for missing relatives. Officials said many people suffocated in bathrooms, while one person told AFP that his five relatives died in an elevator. The blaze -- the latest in a country where safety regulations are frequently neglected -- broke out late Wednesday, reportedly starting on the first floor before rapidly engulfing the five-storey Corniche Hypermarket Mall. The cause was not immediately known, but one survivor told AFP an air conditioner had exploded. Several people told AFP they lost families including mothers and children who had gone to shop and dine at the mall, days after it opened in Kut -- around 160 kilometres (100 miles) southeast of Baghdad. Footage shared on social media showed people including children standing on the roof, calling for help. Ali Kadhim, 51, has been shuttling between the mall and the main hospital, where the victims were taken, looking for his cousin, who is missing with his wife and three children. Back at the mall, he waited anxiously as rescuers searched for victims in the wreckage, with an ambulance on standby. "We don't know what happened to them," he said. An AFP correspondent at the scene said the blaze had been contained and the front of the building was severely charred. The interior ministry said in a statement that "the tragic fire claimed the lives of 61 innocent citizens, most of whom suffocated in bathrooms, and among them 14 charred bodies yet to be identified." INA news agency later quoted a medical source who put the toll at 63 dead and 40 injured. Wasit province governor Mohammed al-Miyahi told the official INA news agency the victims included men, women and children. A medical source in Kut told AFP there were "many unidentified bodies". An AFP correspondent reported seeing charred bodies at the province's forensic department. Civil defence teams rescued more than 45 people who were trapped inside the building, which includes a restaurant and a supermarket, the interior ministry said. Ambulances ferried casualties as late as 4:00 am, with wards in Kut overwhelmed. An AFP correspondent reported seeing distraught relatives waiting at the forensic department for news, some collapsing in grief. One man fell apart, pounding his chest and screaming. Nasir al-Quraishi, a doctor in his 50s, said he lost five family members in the fire. "A disaster has befallen us," he told AFP. "We went to the mall to have some food, eat dinner and escape power cuts at home. "An air conditioner exploded on the second floor and then the fire erupted -- and we couldn't escape." Moataz Karim, 45, hurried to the mall at midnight, only to be met with the devastating news that three of his relatives were missing. Hours later, he identified two relatives despite their charred bodies, one of whom had only begun working at the shopping centre three days ago. "There is no fire extinguishing system," he said in anger, as he waited further news outside the forensic department. Safety standards in Iraq's construction sector are often disregarded, and the country, whose infrastructure is in disrepair after decades of conflict, is often the scene of fatal fires and accidents. Fires increase during the blistering summer as temperatures approach 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit). In September 2023, a fire killed at least 100 people when it ripped through a crowded Iraqi wedding hall, sparking a panicked stampede for the exits. In July 2021, a fire in the Covid unit of a hospital in southern Iraq killed more than 60 people. Governor Miyahi declared three days of mourning in Wasit province and said local authorities would file a lawsuit against the mall's owner and the building contractor. "The tragedy is a major shock... and requires a serious review of all safety measures," he said. Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani ordered a "thorough probe" into the fire to identify "shortcomings" and prevent further incidents. Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, Shiite Islam's highest authority in Iraq, offered condolences to the victims' families. © 2025 AFP
