Published: Less than 1 hour ago
The woman got lost in the Australian wilderness.
When she was found after five days, she had survived on wine and snacks.
– Thank God the policewoman had a cigarette, she tells 9News Australia.
The family alerted the police after the woman did not respond. The trip was only supposed to take one day but the woman was missing for a total of five days, the BBC reports.
It turned out that she had been driving the wrong way. When the mistake was discovered and the woman tried to turn, the car got stuck in mud.
A major search operation was launched in the state of Victoria on Friday in an area that police describe as a “densely forested area” in the state of Victoria.
Just had wine and snacks
As the woman only planned for a shorter trip, she had only packed some snacks and sweets. There was also a bottle of wine in the car.
– The woman, who doesn’t drink herself, only had a bottle of wine with her. She had bought it as a present for her mother, it helped her cope, said Martin Torpey of Wodonga police.
As she lost hope of being found, the woman wrote a letter to her family.
– I thought I was going to die there. My whole body was shutting down on Friday, I was giving up, the woman told 9News Australia.
Found by the police plane
After five days, the police flight managed to locate the woman. Next to her car, the woman can be seen standing and waving to the helicopter. A police car was able to be directed to the woman and rescue her.
– The first thing I thought of was water and a cigarette. Thank God the policewoman had a cigarette, the woman told 9News Australia.
Police say the woman was smart enough to stay by the car during the days she was missing.
– She also used the car to keep warm during the nights, says police officer Martin Torpey.
The woman was taken to hospital for observation and treated for dehydration but has now returned to her hometown of Melbourne.