Missing woman found with snakebite in remote mountains

A woman who has been missing for six days in Australia's Snowy Mountains has been found “dazed and injured” by emergency services after a massive search and rescue operation.

New South Wales (NSW) police said Lovisa Sjoberg was found Sunday afternoon local time, suffering from suspected snakebite, dehydration and a twisted ankle.

The enthusiastic photographer was treated for her injuries at the scene and then taken to hospital, where she is in a stable condition.

Sjoberg, 48, regularly visits the remote Kosciuszko National Park, where she often documents mountain-dwelling wild horses.

Fears for her safety grew after a car rental company reported that her car had not been returned and she could not be contacted. Her car was later found unlocked and abandoned.

New South Wales Police called on the public to help find her on October 21, launching a large-scale search involving sniffer dogs, firefighters, park rangers and an infrared-equipped helicopter.

Concern grew after rescue teams were unable to find them after several days and temperatures around Kosciuszko National Park dropped to as low as zero degrees at night.

Sjoberg was found on Nungar Creek Trail in Kiandra by a National Parks and Wildlife Service officer on Sunday afternoon local time.

Supt Toby Lindsay told media that Sjoberg had been hiking through “tough” bushland for “days” and told rescuers she believed she had been bitten by a copperhead snake four days earlier.

The species is shy rather than aggressive, but its venom is a powerful neurotoxin and can be fatal without medical intervention.

“She's actually very lucky to be alive… she's obviously been going through a tough time,” Supt Lindsay said.

He added that she was now in a “fair condition” and was “lucky to be alive.”