Australian soldier dies after falling down crevasse in New Zealand

AN Australian soldier has died after falling down a 40m crevasse in New Zealand during a training exercise.

Australian Defence Force Soldiers to be deployed to Afghanistan - Picture: Michael Marschall

AN Australian soldier has died after falling down a 40-metre crevasse in New Zealand.

TVNZ said the soldier was killed after falling down the crevasse in the Grand Plateau at Aoraki Mt Cook, New Zealand’s highest mountain.

New Zealand Police said the 44-year-old man was one of a party of 10 people and fell through a snowbridge into the crevasse shortly after 11am (AEST) today.

The soldier’s companions were able to pull him out of the crevasse and get him to the surface where they tried CPR, but he could not be saved.

He was from the Sydney-based 2nd Commando Regiment and was conducting a two week mountain and cold weather operations training activity.

A statement from the Department of Defence said the soldier was “highly qualified and experienced” in alpine, mountain and altitude activities.

No other army members were injured.

It was not common for people to climb in the area where the incident occurred during this time of year, New Zealand Alpine Club general manager Sam Newton told Stuff.

The risk of climbing during winter was higher than in summer.

“In winter it is more likely that crevasses will be covered by snowfall,” Mr Newton said.

Alpine Guides manager Arthur McBride said the man was believed to be one of a group which was climbing on the Grand Plateau on the eastern side of the mountain. The terrain in the area changed rapidly, was heavily glaciated and had a number of large crevasses, he said.

New Zealand’s Conservation Minister Nick Smith said there would need to be an inquiry to make sure all possible safety measures were taken.

The soldier from Australia died on a training exercise on Mt Cook, New Zealand’s tallest mountain.

The victim’s body has been recovered and has been flown back to the Mount Cook Emergency Service Centre. Police are now advising the next of kin.

Mr McBride told the New Zealand Herald, “there were helicopters all over the place”.

The location of the accident was “a long way away” from a large rock avalanche, reported yesterday, on the south face of Mt Cook, he said.

The avalanche destroyed a climbers hut and covered a wide area. Authorities were now trying to determine the stability of the area.

New Zealand’s Department of Conservation said there were no records of visitors to the area at the time and aerial investigations did not indicate anyone had been caught in the incident.

Mt Cook is more than 3700m high.