Police say search aircraft are best chance of finding German tourist lost in Australian Outback

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Police believe search aircraft are their best chance of finding German tourist Carolina Wilga a day after her van was found abandoned in the Australian Outback, an officer said Friday.

The last known sighting of the 26-year-old backpacker was June 29 at a general store in the wheat farming town of Beacon, 320 kilometers (200 miles) northeast of the Western Australia state capital Perth. Beacon had a population of 123 during the 2021 census.

Her friends and family have not heard from her since.

The discovery of her van Thursday in wilderness in the Karroun Hill Nature Reserve, around 100 kilometers (60 miles) north of Beacon, had focused the search area, Western Australia Police Force Acting Insp. Jessica Securo said.

“The search has resumed in that Karroun Hill area. It will be concentrating around her vehicle and tracks that offshoot that area,” Securo told Australian Broadcasting Corp.

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

The overnight temperature was 2.6 degrees Celsius (36.7 degrees Fahrenheit) in the area with no rain.

Police believe Wilga became lost and is not the victim of crime. Australian serial killer Ivan Milat, who died in prison in 2019, notoriously kidnapped and murdered seven backpackers from 1989 to 1992 including three Germans, two Britons and two Australians.

“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,” Securo said.

Wilga’s van, a 1995 Mitsubishi Delica Star Wagon, was 35 kilometers (22 miles) from any major tracks, Securo said.

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.

Securo couldn’t say whether the van became bogged or broke down.

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

“It’s hard to say how much she has taken” with her from the van, Securo said.

“We do know that she was planning to travel throughout regional W.A. and do some exploring through there,” Securo added.

Western Australian 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,” Cook told reporters.

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

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

Wilga’s 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!!!” Will said on a post on an Western Australian Police Force social media site.