Latest news with #GermanBackpacker
News.com.au
2 days ago
- News.com.au
German backpacker breaks silence, reveals event that led to abandoning car in wilderness
A German backpacker who miraculously survived 12 days in the Outback has broken her silence after her story made headlines around the world. Carolina Wilga, 26, was found on a remote roadside on Friday, having spent 12 harrowing days in the Western Australian outback after her van became bogged in Karroun Hill and she abandoned the vehicle. Speaking for the first time on Monday afternoon, Ms Wilga explained the series of events that led to her getting stuck and abandoning her vehicle. 'Some people might wonder why I even left my car, even though I had water, food, and clothing there,' she wrote in a statement. '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.' She said she is 'beyond grateful to have survived' her ordeal. 'First and foremost, I want to express a huge thank you from the bottom of my heart – a thank you that truly comes from the depth of my soul. For all the incredible supports during the search for me,' she wrote. '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. 'I am deeply impressed by the courage, helpfulness, and warmth that has been shown to me here. Western Australia has taught me what it really means to be part of a true community. 'Here, humanity, solidarity, and care for one another are what truly matter – and in the end, that's what counts most.' She said she is 'certain that I survived only thanks to this incredible outpouring of support'. '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 wrote. 'For this, I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. Especially to the police investigators, searchers, the German Consulate, the medical staff and the wonderful nurses who took care of me with so much compassion. 'My deepest thanks also go to every single person who simply thought of me – and of course, to my rescuer and angel, Tania. Thank you Australia – you are amazing.' Rookie mistake missing backpacker made Ms Wilga made a crucial error that could have cost her life when she abandoned her run-down van after getting bogged. Jed Currey, owner of Perth-based Explore WA 4WD Adventures, said the incident should serve as a lesson for Aussie authorities and other tourists. 'I think we do need to be more proactive with people who travel to the country,' Mr Currey said. 'Europeans are very adventurous but they probably don't understand our bespoke conditions here – population differences, the isolation factor, and the harshness of the country.' Mr Currey, who was running a tour about 100 kilometres north of the search area when Ms Wilga went missing, said tourists should be given three simple tips on arrival: let someone know where you're going to be, don't leave your vehicle if you get into trouble, and have a means of contacting people. 'Give them those core pieces of advice when they arrive – just an A4 flyer, that's all it would take.' He said it was possible to safely travel in the outback alone but 'you need to have a level of preparedness to do that'. As a bare minimum, he said lone travellers should carry a personal locator beacon, which would instantly alert searchers to their precise location in an emergency. Had Ms Wilga been carrying a beacon, 'they would have sent the answer plane up and they would've spotted her and directed authorities to her'. He said the backpacker should not have abandoned her vehicle but 'it's very easy to make irrational decisions in a high pressure situation like that'. 'You need to try and remain as composed as possible... The car's broken down but it's a resource. It offers shelter, and you could pull the mirror off and signal with the sun. 'People don't necessarily think in that situation what's available to them because of the panic factor. 'A car's much easier to find than a person when they get an aircraft up there. If she happened to light a fire with a spare tyre, she would've been found within hours.' Though Ms Wilga's ordeal could have been avoided, Mr Currey said her story was 'remarkable' and 'she's very strong to come through'. 'She's obviously got some smarts about her, because she knew the sun sets in the west.' After spending just one day with her Mitsubishi van, trying in vain to free it with MAXTRAX and pieces of wood, Ms Wilga had panicked and struck out on foot. She used the sun's position to head west and drank water from rain and puddles to survive. Ms Wilga survived subzero temperatures, at one point sheltering in a cave. Eventually a passing motorist came across the young woman limping along a remote roadside near Karroun Hill, about 24 kilometres from her abandoned car. When she was found, Ms Wilga was starving, dehydrated and mosquito-ravaged, and walking on just one shoe. She has since issued an update to the public through WA Police that she 'loves Australia' and intends to keep travelling the country. 'She had the weather for it – you can deal with the cold better than the heat,' Mr Currey said. 'Everything scratches you and scrapes you in that country there. It's very tough, so credit to her.'
CNA
2 days ago
- CNA
Rescued German backpacker details Australia bush ordeal
SYDNEY: A German backpacker who survived 11 nights in the Australian bush described on Monday (Jul 14) how she got lost and confused after crashing her car. Carolina Wilga, 26, was found on a scarcely used track in Western Australia late last week miles from her vehicle after going missing in remote bushland, and police said she was lucky to have survived. They found her abandoned van stuck in dense bushland north of the town of Beacon, with plastic orange traction boards placed beneath the rear wheels. "Some people might wonder why I even left my car, even though I had water, food, and clothing there," Wilga said Monday in a statement issued through Western Australia Police. "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." Wilga thanked those who had helped to track her down. "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." Hungry, thirsty and covered in insect bites, Wilga was airlifted to a Perth hospital for treatment after she was found on Friday. The backpacker had lost hope of being rescued, police said. "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 last week. "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," Henley said.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Backpacker Found Alive in 'Fragile Condition' and 'Ravaged by Mosquitos' After 12 Days Missing in Australian Outback
A German backpacker missing for 12 days in Australia's remote outback was found alive on Friday, July 11, police have confirmed Carolina Wilga, 26, hadn't been seen or heard from since June 29 The news comes after officers found her abandoned vehicle in the Karroun Hill area, in the north-east Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, on July 10A backpacker missing for 12 days in the remote Australian outback has been found alive, police have confirmed. On Friday, July 11, the Western Australia (WA) Police Force confirmed on Facebook that Carolina Wilga, 26, from Germany — who has been backpacking around the country for the last two years — had been "located safe and well" in the Wheatbelt region. "Ms. Wilga was located by a member of the public, before being conveyed to receive medical attention," police said. "Police would like to thank the member of the public who located Ms. Wilga, as well as all members of the community who provided information to assist with search efforts," the post added. The news comes after police confirmed on Facebook on Thursday, July 10 that Wilga's abandoned vehicle had been found at around 1:10 p.m. local time in the Karroun Hill area, in the north-east Wheatbelt region of Western Australia. Police said that the Mitsubishi Delica driven by Wilga was "believed to have suffered mechanical issues," per the Facebook post. Wilga hadn't been seen or heard from since June 29 after being spotted arriving at a store in the small town of Beacon, around 200 miles east of Perth, at around 12:10 p.m. local time in her van. She departed the area around five minutes later, and hadn't been heard from since, police previously said. WA Police Inspector Martin Glynn said on Friday that Wilga had been found walking along a bush track at the edge of the Karroun Hill Nature Reserve by a member of the public, per the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). "She is now en route to a hospital in Perth for some medical attention," he told reporters at a media conference, the outlet noted. "As you can imagine from the trauma she's suffered for the last few days, she's been obviously through a great deal," Glynn added. The officer said that the backpacker "has a number of significant minor injuries," 9News reported. Glynn continued, "She does have some injuries, she's been ravaged by mosquitoes, she's been through an incredible journey of trauma," the ABC stated. "No doubt, [it] will be a testament to demonstrating her bravery in these circumstances," he shared, per the outlet. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Glynn said Wilga's family had been notified that she was safe, and that the backpacker had now been airlifted away from Beacon in a "fragile condition," the ABC stated. The officer mentioned that the conditions she'd likely endured would have been "a thousand times worse" than what the rescue team had experienced, the outlet noted. "She's in a fragile position at the moment," Glynn said, per 9News. "This is a great outcome for all those involved. I think once we do hear her story it will be a remarkable story." Before Wilga was found on Friday, WA Police Acting Inspector Jessica Securo told ABC Radio Perth that officers thought she was "likely" to have "become lost in that area, and [had] potentially walked away from her vehicle." "The terrain — it's outback country and there's large rocky outcrops, so although there's a number of tracks, you can see how it would be easy to become lost or disorientated," Securo added to the outlet. Wilga's abandoned van was discovered around 62 miles north of where she was last seen, the ABC noted. Western Australia Police did not immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for additional information. Read the original article on People
The Guardian
4 days ago
- The Guardian
German backpacker found alive after 12 days in Australian outback
Australian authorities said on Saturday that they found 26-year-old German backpacker Carolina Wilga "safe and well" after she had been missing in a remote part of the country's northwest for almost two weeks. Wilga, who vanished on 29 June from near the outback town of Beacon, about 254km (157 miles) north of Western Australia's state capital Perth, was found by a passing motorist on a road in the region on Friday, police said.
The Independent
4 days ago
- Automotive
- The Independent
Backpacker's secret to surviving 11 nights lost in Australian outback
Carolina Wilga, a 26-year-old German backpacker, survived 11 nights lost in the remote Western Australian outback after her vehicle became bogged. She left her stranded Mitsubishi Delica to seek help, and focused on the one navigational guide she knew, walking west by following the sun. Despite facing cold nights and heavy rain, she was eventually spotted on a road by a local, leading to her rescue, which police described as an "incredible result" due to the challenging terrain. Ms Wilga was found exhausted, dehydrated, and disorientated, but is now recovering in hospital from minor injuries and has been in contact with her family in Germany. Authorities advise travellers in the vast and dangerous Australian wilderness to stay with their vehicles if stranded, use personal locator beacons, and share travel plans.
