Climber found just in time on NZ mountain

WELLINGTON: A climber trapped for seven days in freezing conditions on a New Zealand mountain has been found in the nick of time, with rescuers saying he was unlikely to have survived another night alone.

Terry Harch, a 29yearold Australian soldier, was spotted waving his arm in the snow on the South Island’s notorious Mount Aspiring, where more than 30 climbers have died over the past decade.

His emergency beacon signal was picked up in the United States and the coordinates relayed to New Zealand rescue authorities.

Rescuers managed to reach Harch on Thursday and he was airlifted out during a break in bad weather yesterday.

“It’s a great result as we did not want the climber spending another night on the mountain. The aim now is to get him to hospital for immediate treatment,” rescue coordinator Neville Blakemore said.

Search and rescue officer Geoff Lunt said Harch had “clearly made some good decisions to be able to survive the bad weather, heavy snow and high winds”.

Helicopter pilot Sean Mullally said initial missions up the mountain did not detect any sign of Harch and it was not until the fourth sweep that they saw his waving arm.

“He is very lucky to be alive. I don’t think he would have lasted another night,” Mullally told the New Zealand Herald.

Harch, an experienced climber in New Zealand’s treacherous Southern Alps, activated his distress beacon on Monday, the day he was due to come off the mountain. — AFP