Crimeline: Vertical ice late night rescue – Climbers trapped on Mount Aspiring
Vertical ice late night rescue – Climbers trapped on Mount Aspiring
Two strong local climbers in their mid-20s had to be rescued on Tuesday night (30 June) after becoming lost and abseiling down onto a vertical ice slope high on Mount Aspiring, sparking a long, tricky and technical helicopter rescue.
Wakatipu Alpine Cliff Rescue Team volunteers were called after the Rescue Coordination Centre received a personal locator beacon activation just before 8.45pm.
The specialist rescuers were flown in by the Otago Southland Rescue Helicopter soon after, initially hampered by fog, team spokesman Karl Johnson says.
The pair – a young woman and man, both members of the NZ Alpine Mountaineering Team were on their descent after climbing the South Face of Aspiring on Monday, camping high on the mountain that night, Johnson says.
“They were coming down just south of The Ramp above the Bonar Glacier and got a bit off route ending up in a place they couldn’t get out of,” he says. “Unfortunately, a lot of people come unstuck on The Ramp.”
Rescue attempts were hampered by low cloud coming in around the pair but after several attempts the weather cleared sufficiently. Johnson says rescuers finally reached the pair about 1am. Two Alpine Cliff Rescue Team members were winched in and found a small rock buttress that they were able to anchor the pair to with ropes, then winch them out.
The pair weren’t injured and while both strong climbers they didn’t have a lot of alpine experience, Johnson says.
Three women assaulted – one seriously
A 22-year-old Queenstown man faces multiple charges after three women known to him were allegedly assaulted, one seriously, on Shotover Street at 1.30am on Monday, 29 June, Police say.
Area Response Manager Senior Sergeant Glenn Wilkinson says one of the women had allegedly been assaulted “quite seriously”, suffering facial injuries. She was treated at Lakes District Hospital and discharged.
When arrested the man allegedly resisted Police and assaulted one of the Police officers, he says.
He’s been charged with two counts of assaulting a female, one of injures with intent to injure, one of impeding breathing, one of assaulting with intent to injure and one of resisting Police, Wilkinson says.
The man has been bailed to reappear in the Queenstown District Court next month.
Serious injuries – Kawarau Bungy Bridge crash
Five people were injured, two seriously, with multiple emergency services responding after what was believed to be a head-on collision that became a three-vehicle crash on the Kawarau Bungy Bridge about 11.45am on Saturday, 27 June, emergency services say.
Two patients, who were in a serious condition, were flown to Dunedin Hospital by helicopter with another transported to Lakes District Hospital suffering moderate injuries, a St John Ambulance spokesperson says.
Fire and Emergency assistant commander Nic McQuillan says the ‘jaws of life’ (hydraulic firefighting equipment) had to be used to free people who were trapped in two of the smashed vehicles
Arrowtown, Frankton and Queenstown volunteer fire brigades attended the accident, and the state highway was closed for more than two hours. Motorists were advised to delay travel or take an alternative route.
Four ambulances, one operations manager and two air ambulance helicopters turned out to the crash. St John staff treated and assessed five patients, two in minor conditions who did not require transportation, the spokesperson says.
Police say investigations into the cause of the accident are continuing.
Black ice crash - Glenorchy Road
The driver of a small coach carrying eight passengers lost control on black ice rolling the vehicle onto its side on a grass bank near Mt Crichton on Monday, 29 June, Otago Lakes Road Policing Manager Acting Senior Sergeant Dylan Hannah-Jones says.
Two more collisions took place shortly after in the same location when ‘rubberneckers’ - other drivers looking at the accident - hit the same patch of ice, emergency services say.
One person was taken to hospital with moderate injuries and other passengers received bruising.
Extreme caution urged – Multiple black ice accidents
Emergency services are urging extreme caution on Wakatipu roads with at least a dozen accidents due to black ice and slippery roads this past week as temperatures have dipped as low as minus-6degC locally.
FENZ’s Nic McQuillan says volunteer firefighters have been on multiple accident callouts with many more accidents due to ice probably not reported.
“The roads are slippery at 7am and you can’t travel into Queenstown at the moment without sliding,” he says. “Watch for south-facing shady spots.”
Hannah-Jones says Police have been responding to more and more crashes due to people losing control on frost and ice. “Once you’re on ice you’re along for the ride until your car regains traction,” he says. “Control speed and take extreme caution when cornering. Avoid driving on the edges of the roadway and if you hit ice and begin to slide avoid forcefully hitting the brakes and wait for the car to regain traction.
“Always drive with a windscreen totally clear of frost and check your tyre pressures as they can drop in the cold temperatures,” he says.
More crashes
Police were also called to a single vehicle crash on Malaghans Road at 8.45am last Thursday, 25 June. Constable Amanda Shute says the driver allegedly lost traction and control of the vehicle, swerving across the centreline and travelling through a wooden wired fence before coming to rest after striking a small tree. The driver was given a formal written warning for careless driving.
In another single vehicle crash on the Gibbston Highway a driver allegedly swerved to avoid an animal on the road at 3am on Friday, 26 June, hitting a bank. The vehicle travelled approximately 100m along the bank before coming to rest. There were no injuries.
Drink driving
A 23-year-old overseas driver has been charged after allegedly blowing 475mcg when stopped on Gorge Road at 12.30am on Tuesday.
The driver appears in court on 24 July.
