Missing woman found safe after six-day search in Australia's Snowy Mountains

A woman missing for six days in Australia’s Snowy Mountains has been successfully located by emergency services following an extensive search and rescue operation.

According to New South Wales (NSW) Police, Lovisa Sjoberg was found on October 27 afternoon, experiencing symptoms of a suspected snake bite, dehydration, and a rolled ankle, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

The passionate photographer received treatment for her injuries on-site before being transported to a hospital, where she is reported to be in stable condition. Sjoberg, 48, is a frequent visitor to the remote Kosciuszko National Park, where she often captures images of wild horses in the mountains.

Concerns for her safety heightened when a rental car company reported that she had not returned her vehicle and could not be reached. Her car was later discovered unlocked and abandoned. 

On October 21, NSW Police appealed to the public for assistance in locating her and initiated a large-scale search operation involving sniffer dogs, firefighters, park rangers, and a helicopter equipped with infrared technology.

Anxiety mounted when rescue teams were unable to locate her after several days, especially as nighttime temperatures in the Kosciuszko National Park area plummeted to zero degrees. 

Sjoberg was located by an officer from the National Parks and Wildlife Service along the Nungar Creek Trail at Kiandra. Supt Toby Lindsay informed the media that Sjoberg had been "wandering [for] days" through "tough" bushland, and she told rescuers that she believed she had been bitten by a copperhead snake four days earlier.

While this species is typically shy rather than aggressive, its venom is a potent neurotoxin that can be deadly without medical treatment. “She’s in fact very fortunate to be alive... she obviously went through a tough time," Supt Lindsay remarked. 

He added that she was now in a "reasonable condition" and is "happy to be alive."

By Naila Huseynova