New Zealand Police Alert 2:00am 9 Jan 2009 Tasman

Location of incident: Fox Glacier

Incident type: Update re Fox Glacier incident

Following press release is released on behalf of Constable LeSueur of Hokitika Police.

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On Thursday the 8th January 2009 two Australian tourists were crushed by falling ice at the terminal face of Fox Glacier.

The tourist's, brothers aged in their early 20's were visiting New Zealand with their parents and extended family. They were due to leave New Zealand on Sunday the 11th January.

The pair walked to the Fox Glacier and after crossing safety barriers approached the glacier face. While taking photographs the pair were struck and buried by approximately 100 tons of ice after this section of the ice face collapsed. The ice covered an area of approximately 10 x 30 metres and was up to 5 metres thick. Some of the ice blocks in the rubble were the size of large vehicles. The collapse partly blocked the Fox River which exited the ice nearby.

Local guides were quickly on the scene but were powerless to assist due to the unstable and unsafe nature of the current ice structure.

A 20 ton digger working on the nearby carpark was called in to assist in the rescue operation. The digger, assisted by a loader, took about 40 minutes to access the site of the collapse after the operator had to clear a path through extremely rough riverbed. Once in position the operator was able to clear a small portion of the debris. As a result one of the victims was recovered. Attempts to locate the second victim were unsuccessful and due to the unsafe nature of the ice the operation was suspended. The missing victim is presumed dead.

The site was monitored until nightfall and will continue to be monitored during daylight hours by Dept of Conservation staff. Police will be liaising closely with DoC and local guides to assess if the ice structure changes enough for another active search to become safely viable. A heavy rain warning has already been issued for the area, due to begin on Friday evening. Heavy rain in this area can have dramatic effects on the glacier, this may assist or hamper search efforts.

The Police would like to remind people visiting areas like the Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers that they must respect the safety barriers and notices. These notices are placed to give visitors the best views possible while keeping them safe. If visitors want to get up close and personal with the glaciers they are advised to go on a guided trip which will allow them to explore the glacier safely.

Currently both the Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers are advancing and have vertical, or in places overhanging, terminal faces. These are highly active and extremely dangerous places to be. They are continually subject to unpredictable rock and ice falls.

During this operation Police were assisted by local search and rescue volunteers, staff from Fox Glacier Guiding, DoC staff, Fox Glacier Volunteer Fire Brigade and Volunteer Ambulance officers, the West Coast Rescue Helicopter, Victim Support and local contractors. The Police are extremely grateful for the assistance of such a skilled group of people in an isolated area.

ENDS

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