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Woman survives bush ordeal

Supplied

Supplied

Mystery surrounds the survival of a Queensland mother who has emerged alive after 17 days lost in rugged bushland.

Shannon Leah Fraser was taken to Innisfail Hospital in a stable condition after stumbling out of the bush onto a farm on Wednesday.

Ms Fraser, 30, was last seen at the Golden Hole swimming spot, south of Cairns, on September 21.

Family members say the mother of two had drunk creek water to survive her ordeal and had severe sunburn as well as scratches.

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Ms Fraser’s mother Deidre Sharrock says a local farmer had found her daughter and taken her to hospital.

“She’s badly burnt, she’s lost a lot of weight,” Ms Sharrock told The Courier-Mail.

“She’s got a lot of infected cuts from fighting the scrub. She told us she just sat in a creek for three days to soothe her cuts and burns.

“It’s incredible, it’s amazing, we all thought she was dead. Thank God, she’s alive.”

Ms Sharrock said her daughter had caught small fish and insects to survive while her brother Dylan Fraser told the ABC she’d eaten nothing and solely survived on the creek water.

Ms Fraser had gone to the swimming hole last month with two men including her partner.

He’d later told police he’d left her sitting alone under a gazebo near the river but when he returned five or 10 minutes later, she was gone.

Her disappearance sparked an intensive search, police suspicions she might have met with foul play, and a public appeal for information by her mother.

But her miraculous survival has also raised questions about her disappearance.

Police refused to comment on the circumstances surrounding Ms Fraser’s discovery, only confirming their investigations were ongoing despite her survival.

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