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Australian police find van in hunt for missing backpacker

The Independent

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July 11, 2025

German national Carolina Wilga was last sighted on 29 June

- RACHEL CLUN

Australian police find van in hunt for missing backpacker

Police have found a van belonging to a missing German backpacker nearly a fortnight after she was last seen in a remote Australian town - but have so far found no trace of her.

Carolina Wilga, 26, was last seen at a general store in the town of Beacon in Western Australia (WA), roughly 200 miles northeast of the city of Perth, just after midday local time on Sunday 29 June. She left about five minutes after arriving, and has not been seen or heard from since.

WA police found her Mitsubishi Delica van abandoned a little further northeast at 1.10pm yesterday, and a police spokesperson said it was believed the van had suffered mechanical issues.

"Carolina Wilga was not at the scene. The search to locate her is continuing, with additional resources being deployed to the area," police said.

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