‘MIRACLE’

Tourist Found in ‘Fragile’ State 12 Days After Disappearing in Remote Wilderness

Family and friends last heard from Carolina Wilga, 26, on June 29.

A German tourist was found alive in the Australian Outback, two weeks after going missing. Carolina Wilga, 26, last contacted family on June 29, and she was last seen at a general store in a tiny town 200 miles northeast of the Western Australia state capital of Perth on the same date. Search teams found her abandoned van on Thursday in a 300,000-hectare reserve, a day before a tourist discovered Wilga wandering around on a forest trail in a “fragile” state, according to Western Australia Police Force Insp. Martin Glynn. “I think once we do hear her story, it will be a remarkable story,” he said. “You know, she’s obviously coped in some amazing conditions,” Glynn added. “There’s a very hostile environment out there, both from flora and fauna. It’s a really, really challenging environment to cope in.” He added that it was a “miracle” that police even spotted her vehicle. Police think her 1995 Mitsubishi Delica Star Wagon got stuck in the mud, forcing the backpacker to go on foot. A friend told the Western Australian that Wilga’s parents “couldn’t believe” their daughter had been found.

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