Missing German backpacker rescued after 11 nights in Australian bush

Sydney: A German backpacker who survived 11 nights in the Australian bush described on Monday how she got lost and confused after crashing her car....

Sydney: A German backpacker who survived 11 nights in the Australian bush described on Monday how she got lost and confused after crashing her car.

Carolina Wilga, 26, was found on a scarcely used track in Western Australia late last week miles from her vehicle after going missing in remote bushland, and police said she was lucky to have survived.

They found her abandoned van stuck in dense bushland north of the town of Beacon, with plastic orange traction boards placed beneath the rear wheels.

"Some people might wonder why I even left my car, even though I had water, food, and clothing there," Wilga said Monday in a statement issued through Western Australia Police.

"The answer is: I lost control of the car and rolled down a slope.