• Source: 1 NEWS
Your playlist will load after this ad The bodies were found by searchers in the early hours of May 5. Source: 1 NEWS
Police said they were called to reports a climber had fallen near the summit at about 10pm yesterday.
A search and rescue operation was commenced, with the Taranaki Rescue Helicopter dispatched last night.
The climbers bodies were found shortly after midnight. Due to the weather and light conditions, the bodies could not be recovered at the time. Police and Alpine Cliff Rescue staff are currently on the mountain attempting to recover the bodies and conduct a scene examination, police said in a statement today.
Attempts to recover bodies of two Christchurch climbers who died on Taranaki Maunga resumes stuff.co.nz - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from stuff.co.nz Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Climbers who died on Mt Taranaki were Christchurch-based engineering geologists in Taranaki for work
5 May, 2021 08:59 PM
2 minutes to read
A recovery operation to retrieve two bodies from Mt Taranaki will resume today. Photo / File
NZ Herald
Christchurch-based engineering geologists Richard Phillips and Peter Kirkwood died while climbing Mt Taranaki.
One of the climbers raised the alarm with police on Tuesday night saying the other had fallen.
The bodies were recovered just after 8am today with the help of the Taranaki Rescue Helicopter and police search and rescue and Alpine Cliff Rescue crew.
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A formal identification process will now be undertaken to identify the men, a police statement said.
The bodies of two climbers killed on Mount Taranaki will stay on the mountain tonight.
The bodies of two climbers were located on Mt Taranaki just after midnight (file picture).
Photo: RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King
The recovery operation has been delayed to due to poor weather conditions.
A search and rescue member who was on Taranaki Maunga overnight said he understood the men died near Syme Hut, which is on Fanthams Peak at an elevation of 1940m and about 500m from the summit.
The pair were from Christchurch and worked for the environmental and engineering consultancy Tonkin and Taylor.
In a statement on its website, group managing director Dr Tim Fisher said the company was notified this morning that two of its treasured people were invovled in the accident.