Tragic Fate of Three Climbers on New Zealand's Mount Cook

Wellington, Dec 6 (NationPress) Authorities suspect that three climbers have tragically lost their lives on New Zealand's highest peak after being unaccounted for for five days, according to police statements released on Friday.

"After assessing the duration for which the climbers have been missing ... we do not believe the men have survived," stated Aoraki Area Commander Inspector Vicki Walker.

The police surmise that the climbers, consisting of two individuals from the United States and one from Canada, did not survive a fall from Mount Cook, the nation’s tallest mountain.

Search efforts for the climbers began on Monday following reports of their overdue status, but for much of the week, search operations faced challenges due to perilous weather conditions, Walker noted.

Thanks to a favorable change in the weather, a helicopter was dispatched on Friday to assist in locating the three missing climbers. The helicopter crew uncovered climbing-related items on the mountain, which included a top, energy gels, a jacket, and an ice axe, according to Xinhua news agency.

"Although we cannot definitively confirm that these items belong to the men, we strongly believe they do," Walker remarked, adding that police have also located signs of the climbers' attempt to navigate the slopes beneath Zurbriggen Ridge, including identifiable footprints.

The police have reached out to the families of the men in both the United States and Canada.

While authorities have initiated a process to formally suspend the active search, they remain ready to resume efforts should new information or credible sightings emerge, particularly from the climbing community, Walker indicated.