Three climbers from the US and Canada are believed to have died in a fall on New Zealand’s highest peak
By James Legge, CNN
(CNN) — Two Americans and a Canadian who went missing after they attempted to summit New Zealand’s highest mountain are presumed dead, local police said Friday, as they suspended search operations.
Kurt Blair, 56, Carlos Romero, 50, and the Canadian national were reported overdue from their planned ascent of Mount Cook (also known as Aoraki), police said earlier this week.
“We do not believe the men have survived,” said Aoraki Area Commander Inspector Vicki Walker on Friday, adding that police believe the men had died in a fall.
The three, who flew to the area on November 30, were planning to summit the 12,218-foot alpine mountain via Zurbriggen Ridge and were reported overdue to meet their flight back out Monday morning, New Zealand police said on Tuesday.
A helicopter and search-and-rescue personnel began looking for the three, but efforts had been largely hampered this week by adverse weather, Walker said.
Several items believed to have belonged to the men, including a jacket and an ice ax, had been retrieved earlier in the week, with more climbing-related items discovered on Friday, Walker said in a statement.
Police said evidence, including footprints, was found where they believe the climbers had begun to traverse the slopes beneath Zurbriggen Ridge.
CNN has contacted the US and Canadian embassies in New Zealand for further information.
Blair and Romero are certified guides in skiing, alpine climbing and rock climbing, according to the American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA). Blair lives in Durango, Colorado, while Romero lives in Livermore, California.
Aoraki received its European name, Mount Cook, in 1851 and features a number of walks and activities for all levels of fitness.
Walker said police “remain poised to reactivate our search if we receive fresh information or credible reports of sightings.”
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