German backpacker Carolina Wilga released from hospital days after being found alive and ‘ravaged' by mosquitos
Police announced Ms Wilga, 26, had been discovered 'safe and well' in the Karroun Hill Reserve area of Western Australia's Wheatbelt region on Friday following a major search for the backpacker, who disappeared 12 days prior.
After being found, Inspector Martin Glynn had said Ms Wilga was taken to nearby Beacon before she was flown to Perth to be provided medical treatment.
"She does have some injuries. She's been ravaged by mosquitoes. She's obviously been through an amazing journey,' Inspector Glynn said the day she was found.
WA Police Detective Acting Inspector Jessica Securo on Saturday then revealed more details about Ms Wilga's condition upon her discovery.
'She was very distressed, obviously exhausted, dehydrated, needed some food… but overall just relieved that she had come across someone and was able to get that help,' Inspector Securo told Weekend Today.
The backpacker was released from Perth's Fiona Stanley Hospital on Wednesday.
In a police statement issued on her behalf, the 26-year-old had expressed a 'huge thank you' to everyone who had supported the search to locate her.
"Previously, I didn't know where my place was in a culture on the other side of the world to my own, but now, I feel a part of it,' she said on Monday.
"I am deeply impressed by the courage, helpfulness and warmth that has been shown to me here."
The backpacker posted pictures from hospital on social media, showing herself holding flowers and surrounded by gifts of food she had apparently received from the German Consulate.
'When you need to gain the 12 kilograms back,' she said in the post.
Her recovery in hospital follows a major search launched after she disappeared on June 29, when she had last been seen visiting a general store in Beacon.
The van she had been driving was found without her in it and Ms Wilga later revealed she had 'lost control' of the vehicle before it rolled down a slope, resulting in her hitting her head which caused her to become disorientated.
"In the crash, I hit my head significantly. As a result of the accident, I left my car in a state of confusion and got lost," Ms Wilga said.
The person who came across the tourist on the road on Friday, local Tania farmer French, immediately knew it was the missing backpacker when she saw her.
"I stopped. I went out and gave her a hug, I said: 'Look, everyone has been looking for you.' She couldn't believe it. She didn't realise how long (she had been out there)," Ms French told Seven News.
"She said: 'You're my guardian angel' and I said: 'I don't know about that'... But she's just one very lucky person.'
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