Missing backpacker Carolina Wilga, 26, found alive in Australian Outback

A 26-year-old backpacker has been found alive in the Australian Outback, 12 days after she went missing.

German tourist Carolina Wilga disappeared on 29 June after being seen in a general store in the wheat farming town of Beacon, Western Australia.

A member of the public found Ms Wilga wandering on a forest trail late on Friday, police said.

She was in a “fragile” state but had no serious injuries and was flown to a hospital in Perth for treatment, said Martin Glynn from the Western Australia Police Force.

“I think once we do hear her story, it will be a remarkable story,” Mr Glynn said, adding it was a “great result” for the backpacker’s family and those involved in the search.

“You know, she’s obviously coped in some amazing conditions," he said. “There’s a very hostile environment out there, both from flora and fauna. It’s a really, really challenging environment to cope in.”

The reserve where Ms Wilga was lost covers more than 300,000 hectares (740,000 acres).

The crew of a police helicopter spotted her van on Thursday in the Karroun Hill Nature Reserve, 36 kilometers (22 miles) north of Beacon, Mr Glynn said.

“Very difficult country. Huge area. So it’s a miracle they’ve actually spotted the car, to be honest,” Mr Glynn told reporters before she was found.

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Ground searchers on Friday scoured a heavily wooded radius of 300 meters (1,000 feet) beyond the van.

Police assume Ms Wilga’s van, a 1995 Mitsubishi Delica Star Wagon, became stuck in mud on the day she left Beacon.

The van, which has solar panels and reserves of drinking water, had recovery boards under its rear wheels that are used to give vehicles traction when they are stuck.

Police believed Ms Wilga became lost and was not the victim of crime.

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