A German backpacker who vanished in the Australian Outback nearly two weeks ago has been found alive, police have confirmed.
Carolina Wilga, 26, was discovered walking along a bush track on Friday after going missing on June 29. She was last seen at a general store in the small town of Beacon, around 200 miles from Perth in Western Australia.
Fears for her safety escalated when her van was found abandoned in remote bushland in the Karroun Hill Nature Reserve, around 60 miles north of Beacon.
Western Australia Police Acting Inspector Jessica Securo said investigators believe Carolina likely set off on foot after experiencing mechanical problems.
“It appears that as she was driving, she’s likely to have become lost and then the car has suffered mechanical issues,” she told ABC. “It’s hard to say how much she has taken [with her from the van]. We do know that she was planning to travel throughout regional WA and do some exploring through there.”
Inspector Securo described the area as "Outback country" with large rocky outcrops, and said it would be easy to get disoriented if you didn’t know the terrain well.
In an update on Friday, police confirmed a passer-by had spotted Carolina walking and raised the alarm. No further details have been released about her condition.
Western Australian Premier Roger Cook had earlier said police were dedicating significant resources to the search.
“They’ve moved swiftly now, and the search is ongoing and is resource-intensive. We want to bring Carolina home, and the police are doing everything they can,” he told reporters.
Detective Senior Sergeant Katharine Venn described the search effort as "vast", with alerts issued across all Australian states and territories.
“She could be off grid, not have access to her phone, and she certainly had capacity in the vehicle she was travelling in to be self-sufficient for quite some time,” she said.
Carolina’s mother, Katja Will, who lives in Castrop-Rauxel in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, had made public appeals for information as the search stretched into its second week.
“Carolina is still sorely missed,” she said in a post on the Western Australia Police Force’s social media page. “If anyone has any information, please contact the police. Please keep your eyes open!!!”
