‘Distressed and exhausted’: German backpacker recovers in hospital after mammoth search

German backpacker Carolina Wilga, who was lost in the West Australian outback for almost two weeks, was “distressed, exhausted, dehydrated and needed some food” said police after she was finally rescued late on Friday afternoon.

On Saturday morning, Acting Detective Inspector Jessica Securo, who met Wilga after her rescue, said the 26-year-old would need “support wrapped around her” following her ordeal.

She remains in a stable condition at Fiona Stanley Hospital in the WA capital of Perth.

Wilga was rescued by a member of the public late on Friday afternoon, flagging down a passing motorist as police were preparing to wrap up their search, to resume at first light on Saturday.

She was spotted walking on a bush track on the edge of the remote reserve on the edge of the state’s Wheatbelt region, about 3½ hours from Perth.

“It’s a fantastic result, we’ve dedicated so many resources to find her, so we’re very pleased that we’ve located her safe and well,” Securo told the Today show.

“She’s receiving some medical attention and just some emotional support. As you can imagine, she was out in the wilderness for about 11 days, so she’s going to need some support wrapped around her.

“She was very distressed, obviously, exhausted, dehydrated, needed some food, but overall just relieved that she has come across someone and able to get that help.”

Securo said the WA outback and its terrain could be “quite challenging”.

“Often, if you were out there, you may think, ‘Oh, I’m never going to come across someone who may help me’. So we’re very grateful that we found her,” she said.

“Obviously, we dedicated significant ground and aerial resources to finding her, and once we located her vehicle, we were able to expand our search further.

“We’re extremely grateful to that member of the community who helped us.”

Securo also confirmed that the vehicle had experienced mechanical failures, and that Wilga had left the car in an attempt to seek help elsewhere.

“Our advice would be, if you do come to be in one of those positions, stay with your vehicle – our searchers are able to find a vehicle far easier than them finding a person,” Securo said.

“Planning is essential. So make sure you have enough food, enough water and those devices that can bring emergency services to you if you come into trouble.”

Securo said Wilga’s priority would be to recover, and confirmed that she was in touch with her family back in Germany.

Friends of Wilga’s were also waiting outside the hospital for her arrival on Friday night to welcome her back.

WA Premier Roger Cook released a statement after Wilga was found, saying the news was “nothing short of remarkable”.

“To our emergency services and everyone who searched, shared information and supported the family through this ordeal – thank you,” he said.

“We’re yet to have the full picture of what happened, but we can all breathe a little easier knowing Carolina is safe and well.”

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