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”.
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 suspected that Carolina became confused and wandered into the bushland after her car broke down in the Karroun Hill region of 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 meticulously examined the Mitsubishi car to figure out what belongings the backpacker might have taken with her and what could have prompted her to leave the vehicle behind.
She had stayed with the car for just a day before panicking and striking out to find help, authorities said.
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.
Ultimately, Carolina was fortunate to be found by a passerby who took her to Beacon, from where she was airlifted to Perth for critical medical care.
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.
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.
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.
