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Australia

Woman survives 6 nights lost in Australian wilderness after falling, being knocked unconscious

By Travis Fedschun , Fox News
Published | Updated
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In this image taken from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation video, South Korean backpacker Joohee Han, 25, center, is assisted to a hospital after being rescued by helicopter, Thursday, June 7, 2018, in Tully, Queensland, Australia. (Australian Broadcasting Corporation via AP)

A South Korean tourist was rescued on Thursday after being lost for nearly a week in the Australian wilderness when she fell during a hike and was knocked unconscious, officials said.

The Queensland Police Service said in a news release that Joohee Han, 25, was found near Mount Tyson in the tropical Queensland state and airlifted to a hospital to be treated for dehydration and exposure.

Han was last heard from on Friday, when she told a friend she was going for a walk at nearby Mount Tyson in a national park that morning, Police Inspector Steve Kersley said.

Queensland Ambulance flight paramedic Hannah Gaulke told ABC News that Han had hiked up to the summit to take photos when she fell from one of the main outlook areas and knocked herself unconscious.

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In this photo taken from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation video, South Korean backpacker Joohee Han, 25, is wheeled to a hospital after being rescued by helicopter, Thursday, June 7, 2018, in Tully, Queensland, Australia. (Australian Broadcasting Corporation via AP)

"When she came to, she was quite disoriented and unable to get her bearings and from then she managed to crawl and scrape her way through the bushland which was really tough terrain and eventually ended up on this slippery, rocky waterfall," she told ABC.

The 25-year-old had been lost for five days before friends reported her missing on Wednesday and a search was launched, Kersley said.

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Gauke told ABC that rescue crews were not able to reach Han from the ground due to the difficult terrain, and had to rescue her from a helicopter.

"From the helicopter, our rescue crew officers performed a winch down to her to secure her — it was about a 60-foot winch and they've brought her up to the helicopter where I've taken over care of her and done an assessment," she said.

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In this image taken from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation video, South Korean backpacker Joohee Han, 25, is seen being rescued by helicopter, Thursday, June 7, 2018, in Tully, Queensland, Australia. (Australian Broadcasting Corporation via AP)

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, according to Kersey.

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

The 25-year-old was wearing long trousers, a long-sleeved shirt and had a raincoat that helped her keep warm, Kersley said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.