North American climbers missing on NZ mountain presumed dead
A search for three foreign mountain climbers missing on New Zealand’s highest peak has been called off.
They are presumed dead, authorities said.
A search had been going on since the beginning of last week and was called off at the weekend.
Two Americans – Kurt Blair, 56, Carlos Romero, 50, and an unnamed Canadian are missing.
They were climbing the 12,00 feet Aoraki-Mount Cook in the Southern Alps.
Authorities believe they likely suffered a fall.
“We do not believe that the men have survived. We believe they have taken a fall,” said Vicki Walker, the lead police investigator.
The search began after the three men failed to arrive for their scheduled flight from the basecamp of the mountain.
They arrived at Mount Cook more than a week ago.
Police said the search team found items they believe belong to the three climbers but had to curtail the operation due to bad weather.
“Our search teams have been hampered by ongoing treacherous alpine conditions,” Walker added.
“It has been too windy for helicopters and simply too dangerous to put teams into the environment.”
The two Americans are experienced climbers and licensed mountain guides, registered with the American Mountain Guides Association.
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