Latest news with #JessicaSecuro
SBS Australia
19 hours ago
- SBS Australia
Remarkable survival story prompts reminders on travel safely in Australia's outback
"She spent one day with the car after it became bogged? and then she moved on from there, so she was essentially out in the wilderness for eleven nights which is significant and just brings us back to how lucky she was that she was located safely and well and how thankful we are that we managed to find her. She basically looked at the direction of the sun and tried to head west, thinking that would be her best bet to come across someone or a road." That's Western Australia's Acting Detective Inspector Jessica Securo at a press conference over the weekend. She detailed just how a 26-year-old German backpacker survived the brutal 12-day ordeal alone in the outback. Carolina Wilga has been discharged from a Perth hospital after surviving nearly two weeks lost in remote Western Australia. She was treated for dehydration and minor injuries - she is safe, walking, and has reunited with loved ones. Detective Inspector Securo says family members in Germany were overwhelmed. "They were in disbelief that a community can come together and just throw every resource at locating their daughter." From the hospital, Ms Wilga revealed why she abandoned her vehicle: she hit her head after losing control of her van, and strayed from the bogged car in a state of confusion. In a police statement, Ms Wilga also thanked the motorist who found her last Friday, as well as police, searchers and medical staff. Tania was the woman who found her. She told ABC News of the moment she saw Ms Wilga. "I knew it was her straight away. I was coming back from Beacon because I'd been down to pick up my trailer and yeah she was on the side of the road, waving her hand." Ms Wilga left her hometown of Castrop-Rauxel in Germany with big dreams, to see every corner of this vast country. She'd walked for 11 days - sleeping in a cave, surviving by drinking from rainwater and puddles on the ground. Caro Ryan is the Bush Search and Rescue Deputy Unit Commander at SES New South Wales. She recommends the TREK method for adventure seekers looking to travel in Australia. "Trek acronym, TREK, and it stands for T, which is take everything you need. So that's going to be your food and your water. Take a little bit extra, you don't know if you're going to get delayed. Take a first aid kit, take some warm layers of clothes, take a map and a compass or a good way of navigating - you might have a digital app, something like that. Make sure you've definitely then got your battery pack, a power bank for your phone to keep that phone working." She says a paper map is helpful, and there are good packing lists available online. "Then the R is for register your intention, which is really just a fancy way of saying tell somebody where you're going. It's really important. So not only tell someone where you're going, but get specific. Tell them what track you're going to do in what area, where you're going to leave your car, how long you're going to be, and let them know when you're back as well." Ms Ryan says having a personal locator beacon can be a lifesaver. "Then E stands for emergency communications. So you think about these wild places we have all across Australia so many times we don't have mobile phone coverage, and having a way of communicating if something goes wrong or even just to let someone know you're running late is essential. So having a PLB, that's a personal locator beacon, it's a small device, fits in the palm of your hand. You can either buy them or rent them and they're absolute lifesavers." And lastly, familiarise yourself with the intended journey. "Finally we've got K, which is know your route and stick to it. So that's really about planning the trip that's right for you, for your experience, for the skills that you might have for your level of fitness and making sure you've got good information about that track that you're going to be doing as well. There's a great system in Australia, we've got the Australian walking track grading system, and our tracks all across Australia are graded from one to five, whereas five is really hard." Sergeant Jim Armstrong is from the WA Police Emergency Operations Unit. He says research and preparation is key - from informing someone that you're going to choosing the right type of clothing and equipment. "One thing that we recommend is offline mapping. So with most phones that have Google, there'll be a mapping feature and in the settings there, there's a thing called offline mapping and what you can do is actually select an area that you're intending to go to and you won't need to have phone coverage for your mapping to still function." And Sergeant Armstrong says people often try to do things they're not equipped to do. "We often see people attempting to do some serious four-wheel drive off-road adventures in their commuter vehicles, which are just totally unsuitable for the conditions. So it's important that your vehicle is suitable and it's also mechanically sound and checked out before you leave. Now with regard to your advanced planning for your trip, have a look at the resources you have and also have a self-rescue plan if something were to go wrong and an idea of what you intend to do." It's always recommended to stay with the vehicle but if that isn't possible, he says, leave a clear trail. "If you reach a point at a track like a fork or you have to make a decision to go left or right, leave a pile of rocks on the track with an arrow with some sticks, just pointing in the direction you've gone. It just makes things a lot easier when we're out searching if we come across something like that, we know which way to keep searching. When you are camped up for the night, consider a small fire. Obviously we don't want fires to get out of control, but a small fire with the smoke and the heat can be easily spotted by a plane or a helicopter." Sergeant Armstrong says any reflective device like a mirror can attract attention to your location. Despite everything she's been through, WA Police say Ms Wilga still loves Australia and has plans to see the rest of the country, including travelling across to the east coast.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Yahoo
German backpacker drank from puddles in Australian bush ordeal
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 Saturday. The 26-year-old walked "confused and disorientated" 24 kilometres (15 miles) 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." 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 June 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." The terrain can be "quite dangerous", Securo 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." 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," said Securo. djw/rsc
Arab News
7 days ago
- Arab News
German backpacker drank from puddles in 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 Saturday. The 26-year-old walked 'confused and disorientated' 24 kilometers 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.' 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 June 29 arriving in the van at a general store in Beacon. 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.' The terrain can be 'quite dangerous,' Securo 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.' 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,' said Securo.
The Sun
12-07-2025
- The Sun
How missing backpacker Carolina Wilga, 26, survived for nearly two weeks in freezing Australian outback
AFTER spending 11 freezing nights out in the wild, it was a "miracle" that saved Carolina Wilga in the remote Australian outback. The "confused and disoriented" German Backpacker, 26, was found by a woman in a passing car in what has been described as "sheer luck". 12 12 12 Carolina had not been seen or heard from since June 29, when she was spotted at a general store in Beacon, 186 miles north-east of Perth. The German woman was then seen driving away in her black and silver Mitsubishi Delica van. Police believed Carolina had become disoriented and walked into bushland after her vehicle broke down in the Karroun Hill area in Western Australia's outback. The region is said to be an unforgiving expanse, described by authorities as remote, rocky and inhospitable. Acting Inspector Jessica Securo confirmed the van was found Thursday at least 21 miles from any main track. She told ABC News earlier on Friday: 'The terrain is outback country and there are large, rocky outcrops. 'So although there's a number of tracks, you can see how it would be easy to become lost or disorientated in that area if you didn't know it well.' Authorities said Carolina's van appeared to have suffered mechanical issues and was bogged, The Guardian reported. Cops did not believe foul play was involved, and focused search efforts around the van's location. They launched what they called a "reflex search" within 300 metres of the vehicle and aerial sweeps of the wider area due to the difficult terrain. Forensic teams combed through the Mitsubishi vehicle to determine what the backpacker may have taken with her - and what might have let her to abandon it. She had stayed with the car for just a day before panicking and striking out to find help, authorities said. 12 12 12 And with minimal food and water, the German backpacker followed the sun's position to head west. The temperature in the area had dropped down to zero degrees at night and there was heavy rain. At one point, she even sought refuge inside a cave and drank water from puddles to survive. But after enduring the untinkable conditions, Carolina was luckily picked up by a member of the public and taken to Beacon before being airlifted to Perth for urgent medical treatment. WA police's Martin Glynn told reporters: 'As you can imagine, from the trauma she suffered for the last few days, she's been obviously through a great deal. 'She does have some injuries. She's been ravaged by mosquitoes." Securo said on Saturday that Carolina has spoken to her family and had a good night's sleep. 12 She also took a shower and ate warm food. 'This is the best result we could have hoped for,' she said. 'It's sheer luck. The area out there is mixed terrain. It can be quite dangerous if you don't know what you're doing or where you're going, and it's very easy to get lost.' 12 days missing Carolina had been backpacking across Australia for two years and recently worked at mine sites in regional WA. Her last known communication were text and voice messages sent to a friend in the early hours of June 29. At 7am, Carolina texted her friend, who had been in communication with her the day she was spotted departing the Sundance Backpackers hostel in Freemantle. In the text, the German reportedly said she wouldn't be able to drop off a book and a jerry can because she had 'some stuff she needed to handle.' She was then spotted at a local store in the tiny town of Beacon on June 29 at around 12.10pm. 12 Later that day, at 4.28pm, CCTV captured her at a Toodyay petrol station, Sky News Australia reports. Ten minutes later, at 4.38pm, she reportedly sent a chilling voice message to her friend, in which she could be heard saying: ''I just couldn't wait anymore. Ugh. I felt tired''. Police believed Carolina continued driving east to Wialki, but after June 30, all contact with friends and family ceased. Her 12-day disappearance triggered a full-scale operation involving police, State Emergency Services and Department of Fire and Emergency Services. The van — equipped with solar panels and water — was found Thursday, but there was no sign of the then-missing woman. A Facebook page titled 'Help Find Carolina was launched to assist the search as WA Police issued an urgent nationwide appeal for information. 12 12
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Yahoo
German backpacker found after 11 nights in Australia's outback
A backpacker survived nearly two weeks lost in Western Australia's outback by drinking from puddles and sleeping in a cave, police have said. Carolina Wilga, 26, from Germany, was rescued on Friday. She had suffered from exhaustion, dehydration, "extensive insect bites" and an injured foot, according to police. Officers said she walked 24km (15 miles) away from her van in a "confused and disorientated" state after it became stuck in remote bushland. Ms Wilga had convinced herself she was not going to be found, police said, adding that the backpacker's family was relieved and thankful. "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," a Western Australia police statement said. The rescue was down to "sheer luck", acting police inspector Jessica Securo said in a news conference. Ms Wilga was spotted by a driver and airlifted to a hospital in Perth. Tania Henley, the driver, told Australia's public broadcaster ABC that she saw Ms Wilga waving her hands by the side of the road, and she appeared to be in a "fragile state". "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," Ms Henley said. Before her rescue, Ms Wilga was last seen at a general store in the town of Beacon, Western Australia, in her van on 29 June. Police found her abandoned van on Thursday in dense bushland north of Beacon. Securo said it appeared Ms Wilga had lost control of the vehicle, which became mechanically unsound and bogged. Ms Wilga has had a "good night's sleep" in hospital and is "just taking it one day at a time", Securo said. New reward to find murdered British backpacker's remains British woman wins Australia 'backpacker tax' case
