Carolina Wilga's extraordinary survival story unfolds after she became lost, struggling with exhaustion and dehydration after her van became stuck in remote bushland.
Survival Against the Odds: German Backpacker Rescued in Australia's Outback
Survival Against the Odds: German Backpacker Rescued in Australia's Outback
A 26-year-old German backpacker endured nearly two weeks alone in the unforgiving Australian outback before her miraculous rescue.
Carolina Wilga, a 26-year-old backpacker from Germany, has been found alive after surviving 11 grueling nights in Western Australia's arid outback. The young woman was reported missing after she became separated from her van, which became immobilized in the bushland.
Authorities revealed that Wilga had been drinking rainwater and puddle water while sheltering in a cave. Despite suffering from dehydration, exhaustion, and extensive insect bites, her sheer will to survive kept her going.
She had walked approximately 24 kilometers (15 miles) from her vehicle in a state of confusion, thinking that she might not be found. Family members expressed immense relief upon hearing the news of her rescue.
According to a statement from Western Australia police, Wilga survived using the minimal food supplies she had and by collecting rainwater. Acting police inspector Jessica Securo credited her rescue to “sheer luck.”
A driver named Tania Henley spotted Wilga waving for help by the roadside and subsequently alerted the authorities. Henley described Wilga's fragile state, noting that she was barefoot and had wrapped a makeshift bandage around her injured foot.
Before going missing, Wilga was last seen in her van at a general store in Beacon, Western Australia, on June 29. Investigators located her abandoned vehicle in thick bushland north of the town.
Securo confirmed that Wilga has spent her first night in a hospital receiving care and is focusing on recovery, taking life one day at a time as she recuperates from her harrowing experience.
