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 backpacker became lost