Hikers rescued after becoming lost in Mount Kosciuszko blizzard
The 31-year-old man and 28-year-old woman became stranded in a blizzard below Mount Carruthers, about 3km from Mount Kosciuszko, on Saturday, with rescue efforts hampered by a 'white out' blizzard and strong winds.
Alpine rescue staff from the SES and police had gone out to help the pair, along with paramedics and the police rescue squad.
About midday on Saturday, the rescue party got within 1.2km of the stranded bushwalkers, but the extreme conditions forced them to turn back.
Specialist emergency services were then forced to take over the search, and were finally able to reach the pair, who were unharmed, in the early hours of Sunday.
About 10.30pm the specialist alpine police and SES crews hiked to the stranded pair.
Footage released by police shows at least nine people trudging through darkness, as wind drives snow sideways.
Just after midnight Sunday, the pair were escorted to a makeshift camp set up by rescuers, but the group had to wait there again as the Snowy River rose, and more strong winds and heavy snowfall inhibited their descent.
Everybody got off the mountain about 4am Sunday, police said.
The incident comes as the ski season officially kicks off in Australia's alpine regions.
Monaro police Acting Inspector Andrew Woods said bushwalkers need to be prepared and should consult checklists such as the Think Before Trek guide.
'As we move into the snow season, it's vital that Kosciusko National Park users are properly prepared before venturing into alpine regions.
'It's highly recommended that park users monitor weather forecasts closely and continually as conditions change quickly.
'The use of the online National parks and Wildlife Services Trip Intention Forms and personal locator beacon is strongly encouraged.'
The ski resorts at Mount Kosciuszko have received up to 30cm of snow since Saturday - the official start of ski season in Australia.
In Victoria, more than 20 people became stranded in their cars about 10.50pm on Saturday near Mount Hotham.
The convoy was snowed-in overnight into Sunday, remaining stuck for about 19 hours as more than 50cm of snow fell.
A man in his 40s had minor injuries after his vehicle rolled, and a fire truck became stuck after being deployed to help.
Rescue crews rode snowmobiles into the Blue Rag Range Track, near Dargo High Plains Road, with
People in the stranded vehicles had food, water and protection from the elements, emergency services said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
a day ago
- News.com.au
One killed, dozens injured, as quake hits western Turkey
A 6.1-magnitude quake struck Sindirgi in western Turkey on Sunday, the Turkish disaster management agency (AFAD) said, killing at least one person and injuring dozens more. The quake was felt across several cities in the west of the country, including Istanbul and the tourist hotspot of Izmir. "An 81-year-old person died soon after having been rescued from under the rubble," Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya told journalists at Sindirgi, the epicentre of the quake. Another 29 people had been injured, but not seriously, he added. The quake collapsed 16 buildings in Sindirgi and its surroundings, of which four were inhabited, including a three-storey building in the city centre, he said. Several people were pulled alive from the rubble of the three-storey building, where six people were living. The person who died had also been buried under the rubble there before being freed. Earlier, Mayor Serkan Sak had told Turkish private channel NTV: "Four were rescued from the rubble." Efforts to extract two others were ongoing, he added. Some 319 first responders were deployed to the affected zone, AFAD said. The quake hit at 7:53 pm (1653 GMT), with some 20 aftershocks ranging from 3.5 to 4.6 magnitude, according to AFAD. Turkey is crisscrossed by several geological fault lines which have previously caused catastrophes in the country. A quake in February 2023 in the southwest killed at least 53,000 people and devastated Antakya, site of the ancient city of Antioch. At the beginning of July, a 5.8-magnitude tremor in the same region resulted in one death and injured 69 people. bg/jj/gv
SBS Australia
5 days ago
- SBS Australia
A river turned 'into a monster' in India. Now, rain and blocked roads hamper rescue efforts
Rescuers have battled heavy rain and blocked roads in India's Himalayan state of Uttarakhand, after four deaths in sudden flooding and landslides the previous day left dozens missing and an entire village submerged under sludge. Teams of army and disaster force rescuers used heavy machinery to shift boulders in the struggle to reach the village of Dharali on Wednesday, where homes and roads were submerged by a flood of water, mud and rocks, media and authorities said. The Indian army said 70 people were brought to safety, while the state's chief minister, Pushkar Singh Dhami, told news agency ANI that about 130 were rescued the previous night. Rescuers used a makeshift zipline to cross a violently gushing river, while others moved rocks and mud with their hands in the hunt for those buried under the sludge, television images showed. "The number of missing persons is unknown. However, the relief efforts have continued through the night," rescue leader Colonel Harshavardhan, from the Indian army, posted on X. "We are trying to rescue people and take them to safety." Dharali, a hamlet of about 200 in the state's Uttarkashi district standing more than 1,150m above sea level, is a tourist spot and pit-stop for Hindu pilgrims climbing to the temple town of Gangotri. Residents of nearby villages heard a loud rumble on Tuesday afternoon before a wall of water crashed into Dharali, media said. "I heard a deafening sound like boulders grinding," Sunita Devi, from the village of Mukha, told the Hindustan Times newspaper. "And then we saw the Kheer Ganga river turn into a monster." Roads to the area have crumbled or been blocked by boulders, making it tough to bring in rescue teams from elsewhere in the state, district administrator Prashant Arya said. The floods also washed away mobile and electricity towers, disrupting connectivity and forcing rescue workers to turn to satellite phones. The rising water level of the Ganga River at Gandhi Ghat triggered flood alarms earlier this week. Source: AAP / Hindustan Times/ Sipa USA Eleven personnel were missing from an army camp in Harsil, four kilometres from Dharali, after it was also hit by flash floods, the NDTV news channel reported. More troops, accompanied by tracker dogs, drones, and earth-moving equipment, are being mobilised for the rescue effort, the army's central command said on X. Uttarakhand is prone to floods and landslides, which some experts blame on climate change. Weather experts and geologists told media the cause of the havoc needed to be investigated in the absence of heavy rain in the area on Tuesday, adding they suspected the reason could be a glacial lake outburst flood. — With additional reporting from the Australian Associated Press
The Australian
6 days ago
- The Australian
Hunter Valley flood victim's body found after days-long search
A body believed to be that of a missing 26-year-old woman has been found by volunteer rescuers in NSW's Hunter Valley. The Chinese national was swept away on Saturday 2 August after downpours flooded the Hunter Region. The woman was a passenger in a Mini Countryman driven by a 27-year-old woman on Old North Road in Rothbury. Her body was found shortly after 11am on Wednesday morning, said Inspector Justin Cornes from the Hunter Valley Police Department 'Our forensic specialist police along with our detectives are on the scene currently,' he said. 'Our thoughts go out to the family of the missing 26-year-old for what has been and will continue to be an extremely difficult time for them.' On Sunday, Hunter Valley District Commander Superintendent Steve Laksa said both women had tried to get out of the car when it was clear they were stuck, but were swept away 'with the rising and rapidly running causeway waters'. He said both were 'swept into the causeway' but the driver managed to surface and collect her dog, which was in the back seat of the car. The driver made her way to the causeway's bank, while the 26-year-old passenger was pulled further away, and eventually found about 450m from the causeway. The passenger had lived in Australia for three years and worked as an engineer. A large-scale search was launched for the woman involving local police, the Rescue and Bomb Disposal Unit, Marine Area Command, NSW SES, VRA Rescue NSW, and the NSW RFS. It was volunteer rescuers from VRA Rescue NSW who found the body. Rainfall totals as high as 137mm have triggered flash flooding in NSW over the weekend, and the NSW State Emergency Service responded to more than 1455 incidents caused by the severe weather, including more than 100 stuck vehicles. More than 40 flood warnings were issued north of Newcastle, and parts of the Upper Hunter town of Scone were ordered to evacuate immediately due to 'major flooding'. At the time Superintendent Laksa urged people to follow warnings about floodwaters. 'I'd just ask the community to take heed of those warnings and do not enter any waterway,' he said. The body is yet to be formally identified, and a report will be prepared for the coroner. Brendan Kearns Cadet Journalist Brendan Kearns is a cadet journalist with News Corp Australia. He has written for The Australian, the Herald Sun, the Geelong Advertiser, CHOICE, Cosmos, and The Citizen. He won Democracy's Watchdogs' Student Award for Investigative Journalism 2024 and hosted the third season of award-winning podcast Uncurated. He studied as Master of Journalism at The University of Melbourne, before that he worked as a video producer and disability worker. NewsWire An 84-year-old man has died three days after he and his wife, 82, were allegedly assaulted by a man known to them at their home near Wagga Wagga. NewsWire A 'hardworking father' who died at a construction site has been remembered as someone who always put others first.
