Fears for backpacker missing in outback as aircraft joins search

Police believe search aircraft offer the best chance of finding a German backpacker who was last seen in the Australian outback nearly two weeks ago.

The update comes a day after Carolina Wilga’s van was discovered in wilderness in the Karroun Hill Nature Reserve around 100km (60 miles) north of Beacon – the town where the backpacker was last seen at a general store on 29 June.

Friends and family of the 26-year-old have not heard from her since.

Police believe the backpacker became lost in the 300,000-hectare reserve after her van broke down and is not the victim of a crime.

Beacon, a wheat farming town 320km (200 miles) northeast of the Western Australia (WA) state capital Perth, is in the remote Wheatbelt region and had a population of 123 at the time of the 2021 census.

The search is now more focused following the discovery of her van on Thursday, Western Australia Police Force Acting Inspector Jessica Securo said.

“The search has resumed in that Karroun Hill area,” she told Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

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“It will be concentrating around her vehicle and tracks that offshoot that area.”

“Given the dense area, our aerial support is our best chance of finding her,” she added, referring to the dense forest.

The overnight temperature going into Friday was 2.6C (36.7F) in the area, with no rain.

“The terrain is outback country and there’s large rocky outcrops. Although there’s a number of tracks, you can see how it would be easy to become lost or disorientated in that area if you didn’t know it well,” Inspector Securo said.

Ms Wilga’s van, a 1995 Mitsubishi Delica Star Wagon, was 35 kilometres (22 miles) from any major tracks, the police inspector added.

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

Inspector Securo could not say whether the van became bogged or broke down.

She added: “It appears that as she was driving, she’s likely to have become lost and then the car has suffered mechanical issues.”

The police inspector said it was “hard to say” what supplies Ms Wilga may have taken with her from the van.

She continued: “We do know that she was planning to travel throughout regional WA and do some exploring through there.”

Western Australian State Premier Roger Cook said “police are throwing a lot of resources” at 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.

Ms Wilga has been travelling in Australia for two years and working at Western Australian mine sites.

Her mother Katja Will, who lives in the city of Castrop-Rauxel in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, has appealed for public help to find her daughter.

“Carolina is still sorely missed. If anyone has any information, please contact the police. Please keep your eyes open!!!” Ms Will said on a post on a Western Australian Police Force social media site.

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