A 48-year-old woman, who disappeared during a solo hike in Australia’s Snowy Mountains, was found after six days with injuries and a snake bite. Around 4:50 pm on October 27, a National Parks and Wildlife Service officer found the woman, Lovisa Sjoberg, injured on the Nungar Creek Trail at Kiandra, the New South Wales Police said.
“She was treated at the scene by NSW Ambulance paramedics for exposure and what is believed to be a snake bite, before she was taken to Cooma District Hospital in a stable condition,” the police statement added.
Superintendent Toby Lindsay of New South Wales Police said that Sjoberg had been “wandering for days” in rugged terrain and shared with rescuers that a copperhead snake may have bitten her four days prior.
“She’s very fortunate to be alive. She went through a tough time,” BBC quoted Ms Lindsay as saying, adding Ms Sjoberg was now in a “reasonable condition” and was “happy to be alive.”
Ms Sjoberg, a regular visitor to Kosciuszko National Park and known for photographing the area’s wild horses, was reported missing when she failed to return her hire car, prompting the rental company to alert authorities, according to the BBC. Her car was discovered unlocked and abandoned, causing even more concern about her safety.
A command centre was set up at the Kiandra Courthouse along the Snowy Mountains Highway, where a search operation was initiated.
The search operation enlisted the assistance of sniffer dogs, firefighters, park rangers and a helicopter equipped with infra-red technology, reported the BBC. The operation intensified as temperatures around the Kosciuszko National Park plunged to near-freezing at night, and initial search efforts proved unsuccessful.
Copperhead snakes, though generally shy, carry potent neurotoxic venom, and bites can be fatal if untreated. Ms Sjoberg’s ordeal in the unforgiving bushland has been described as harrowing, with her survival attributed to both her resilience and the tireless work of the rescue teams.