Students saved

Police have criticised an outdoor education group which got into trouble on Mt Tongariro, saying that two students stranded near the summit were cold and hypothermic when rescuers arrived. The students got confused in heavy cloud and had the wrong clothing for the conditions. A guide dug a trench in ice and made an emergency shelter, reviving the cold pair with sugary food and hot drinks. Senior Constable Barry Shepherd of Taupo Police said if the students had not been able to make a cellphone call, “it's fair to say they would have perished. It was a debacle.” Police would be following-up the incident.