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Two mountain climbers have died on New Zealand’s tallest peak of Aoraki and two others were rescued, authorities announced on Tuesday.
The dead climbers’ bodies were located and operations are underway as specialist searchers work to recover them from what authorities described as a “challenging alpine environment”.
None of the climbers has been publicly identified, but the New Zealand Mountain Guides Association said in a statement that one of those who died was a member of their organisation and the other was that guide’s client.
Police Sergeant Kevin McErlain, speaking to local media, said that the pair had been connected by a rope when they fell near the summit of Aoraki, also known as Mount Cook.
Authorities were alerted late on Monday night local time that four climbers needed help on the mountain, which is on New Zealand’s South Island, known as Te Waipounamu in Māori.
Two of the climbers were rescued and airlifted by helicopter in the early hours of Tuesday morning, according to Police Area Commander Inspector Vicki Walker, adding that the two rescued climbers were uninjured.
Searchers in two helicopters looked throughout the night for the other climbers, who were found dead hours later.
Aoraki is 3,724 metres high and is part of the Southern Alps, the scenic and icy mountain range that spans the length of the South Island. A settlement of the same name at its base is a popular destination for domestic and foreign tourists.
The peak is popular among experienced climbers. Its terrain is technically difficult due to crevasses, avalanche risk, changeable weather and glacier movement.
More than 240 deaths have been recorded on the mountain and in the surrounding national park since the start of the 20th century. Dozens of those who died on the mountain have never been found.
Three men, two of them from the United States and one from Canada, were among those believed to have most recently died on Aoraki while attempting the climb in December last year.
The climbers were missing for five days before New Zealand authorities halted a search for them, saying discoveries of their belongings suggested the men had fallen to their deaths.
Additional sources • AP