Korean woman survives 6 nights lost in Australian wilderness

A South Korean backpacker was rescued on Thursday after being lost for six nights in rugged Australian wilderness suffering from dehydration and exposure, but relatively unscathed, police said.

Joohee Han, 25, was last seen at a supermarket in the town of Tully in tropical Queensland state on Thursday last week before telling a friend by phone the following day she was going for a walk at nearby Mount Tyson in a national park that morning, Police Inspector Steve Kersley said.

She had been lost for five days before friends reported her missing on Wednesday and a search was launched, Kersley said.

Her shouts for help were heard on Saturday by a member of the public, who only informed police on Thursday after learning of the search.

She was found on Thursday by soldiers and police who cut through dense forest to reach her, he said.

“Six days is a long time to be lost in the bush particularly when you’ve got no bush skills,” Kersley told reporters. “She’s done well to survive.”

She was winched from the forest by a rescue helicopter, which took her to Tully where she was assessed at a hospital.

She was wearing long trousers, a long-sleeved shirt and had a raincoat that helped her keep warm, Kersley said.

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