Dec. 6 (UPI) — Three climbers from Canada and the United States missing for nearly a week on New Zealand’s Mount Cook are believed to be dead, authorities said Friday as they suspended the search for the men.
The climbers, one from Canada and two from the United States, were to climb the mountain over the weekend but were reported overdue when they missed their flight Monday morning.
Rescuers have since been searching the mount for the missing climbers, but their efforts have been hampered by poor weather.
New Zealand Police said searchers located a jacket and an ice axe earlier this week that they believe belonged to the men. On Friday, other climbing-related items were discovered, including a shirt and energy gels, as well as footprints indicating the men were climbing slopes beneath Zurbriggen Ridge.
“After reviewing the number of days the climbers have been missing, no communication, the items we have retrieved, and our reconnaissance today, we do not believe the men have survived,” Aoraki Area Commander Inspector Vicki Walker of New Zealand Police said in a statement.
“We believe they have taken a fall.”
She said police have formally advised the coroner that the climbers have died.
Walker said they were thinking of the men’s families, with whom they have spoken to.
“I’m devastated for them — the entire search team wanted a positive result,” Walker said.
The rescue mission was being suspended, Walker said, but they remain ready to restart it if new information becomes available.
The two Americans have been identified as Kurt Blair, 56, and Carlos Romero, 50. The identity of the Canadian has not been released.
The three men arrived at the mountain Saturday and were set to fly out Monday morning.
Mount Cook is located in southwestern New Zealand and is more than 12,200 feet tall.
