Rescued backpacker reveals why she abandoned van in Australian outback
Carolina Wilga was found on Friday afternoon by a motorist, after last being seen on June 29 in the Western Australian town of Beacon, about 300km northeast of Perth.
The 26-year-old remains in hospital after suffering cuts, bruises, dehydration and fatigue during her near two-week ordeal in remote bushland, where overnight temperatures fell to almost zero.
Wilga has thanked her rescuers and explained why she left her Mitsubishi van which police found about 35km from a main track in a dense bush nature reserve.
"Some people might wonder why I even left my car, even though I had water, food and clothing there," she said in a statement issued by WA Police today.
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"The answer is: I lost control of the car and rolled down a slope. 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."
New images of Carolina Wilga's bogged van on Friday showed just how badly bogged and remote it was when the backpacker decided to abandon it. (Source: Nine)
Wilga thanked the motorist who found her, describing the woman named Tania as a "rescuer and angel".
She thanked police, the people who searched for her, the German Consulate and medical staff "who took care of me with so much compassion".
"Western Australia has taught me what it really means to be part of a true community," she said.
She believes she survived because of an "incredible outpouring of support".
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"The thought of all the people who believed in me, searched for me, and kept hoping for me gave me the strength to carry on during my darkest moments," she said.
"For this, I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart."
Police previously said Wilga spent just one night with her van after it got bogged in the Karroun Hill Nature Reserve bushland.
She followed the sun and walked 24km west, thinking that would be her best bet of finding a road.
She had minimal food and water and was in the elements for 11 nights.
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