Lost tramper lay injured in ravine for 6 days

HOKITIKA: A 61yearold Christchurch man who attempted an alpine pass tramp towards Hokitika was found by rescuers on Saturday after lying injured in a mountain ravine for six days.

Seven field search and rescue teams from Canterbury and the West Coast were called in to search for David Jensen.

He left the Lake Coleridge area on February 20 intending to tramp through Mungo Pass and emerge near Hokitika.

After he was reported overdue, police carried out a hut check on Friday, flying rescuers to each hut along the route to see if he had filled in the hut book or was inside the hut.

On Saturday, teams from both sides of the pass started searching for him.

Mr Jensen was located in a ravine on the Canterbury side by Alpine Cliff Rescue on Saturday afternoon. He had been there for the past six days.

Police confirmed yesterday he had been taken to hospital by rescue helicopter.

Police search and rescue officer in charge Senior Sergeant Mark Kirkwood said it had been ‘‘risky’’ to enter the mountains without a personal locator beacon.

In a second incident, Ashburton man Alan Collison was reported missing on Friday after leaving home on Monday last week; his vehicle was located at the start of the Heaphy Track on Thursday.

Snr Sgt Kirkwood said a Karamea resident alerted police after finding the vehicle at the Kohaihai car park.

On Saturday, Mr Collison emerged from the track, back at the car park, where he came across a police placard asking for information on his whereabouts.

He was injured and unwell and was taken to Buller Medical Health in Westport, and later transferred to Te Nikau Hospital in Greymouth.

Snr Sgt Kirkwood said it was important people helped keep themselves safe by carrying a locator beacon.