Carolina Wilga, the 26-year-old backpacker who went missing in the Australian outback for 12 days, has finally returned home to Germany.
She landed in Düsseldorf on Saturday after a more than 20-hour flight from Perth via Dubai, accompanied by medics as a precaution following her dramatic survival ordeal.
A Harrowing Experience in the WA Outback
Carolina’s car got bogged down in the harsh bushland of Western Australia’s Wheatbelt, and she vanished without a trace on June 29.
Her damaged van was discovered abandoned in thick bush on July 10, but Carolina was nowhere to be found, sparking a massive search across remote bushland.
People in Germany and Australia followed the case, growing increasingly concerned as days turned into weeks.
Twelve Long Days in the Wilderness
Carolina had wandered into the bush after crashing her vehicle, losing control and hitting her head badly during the crash.
Disoriented and injured, she spent 12 days alone in the outback, drinking from puddles, sleeping in caves, and fending off biting insects and freezing nights.
She lost 12 kilograms and suffered burns, a foot injury, and severe dehydration.
A New Lease on Life
On July 11, cattle farmer Tania Henley spotted the barefoot young woman at the side of a dirt road, 24 km from her abandoned van.
Carolina was flown to Fiona Stanley Hospital in Perth, where she received treatment and made a steady recovery before flying out of the country under medical supervision.
A Quiet Return Home
Now back in her hometown, Carolina is recovering in hospital, surrounded by family.
“I’m incredibly grateful to be alive,” she said in a previous statement.
“Western Australia showed me what it means to be part of a real community.”