NSW: Poor visibility brings early end to search

AAP General News (Australia)
08-20-1999
NSW: Poor visibility brings early end to search

By Rod McGuirk

PERISHER, NSW, Aug 20 AAP - High winds and poor visibility brought an early end to the
search today for four snowboarders believed buried on the slopes near Mt Kosciuszko for up to
13 days.

"On the tops of the mountains around Kosciuszko, visibility is about five metres and in
those circumstances, it's not safe for the people to be out there," acting search coordinator
Superintendent Charlie Sanderson said early this afternoon.

Searchers are hoping better conditions tomorrow will allow a wider search over the Snowy
Mountains that will include a police helicopter.

The search area today and tomorrow includes an area south of Australia's highest peak where
aircraft thermal imaging equipment identified a hot spot on Wednesday.

But Supt Sanderson was already satisfied the origins of the heat were animal rather than
human.

He said thermal imaging, which had been a feature of the expansive 300 square kilometre
search since day two, was no longer of use.

"The hits that we're getting on the thermal imaging are either members of the search party
or were identified as animals," Supt Sanderson said.

"So I don't think we have much more use of the thermal imaging."

Searchers had also used metal detectors to scan the site of an avalanche in a 300-metre
snow cave known as the Kosciuszko Cornice before visibility was reduced to a dangerous level.

Hopes that the depth of snow in today's search area would be vastly reduced were dashed
when the forecast rain overnight was replaced by further snow falls.

Tomorrow will mark a fortnight since school mates from the Sydney suburb of Frenchs Forest
- Scott Beardsmore, 26, his brother Paul, 24, Dean Pincini, 25 and Tim Friend, 25 - braved
heavy snowfall predictions to start a weekend of snowboarding.

On the 11th day of the search, fatigue among the dwindling number of searchers was becoming
a problem.

Two police psychologists arrived at Perisher yesterday to help the would-be rescuers cope.

"We're monitoring fatigue; it is an issue but I'm able to say there'll be 10 fresh people
here on Monday morning," Supt Sanderson said.

The 10 additional emergency services personnel would be utilised at least until Wednesday
when the future of the search would be reassessed, he said.

Supt Sanderson said neither the families nor police had given up hope of finding survivors.

"If these young people are out there and they're alive, it's got to be one of the biggest
miracles that we've experienced around here," Supt Sanderson said.

"They've been lost a long time and if they were okay, we would have found them by now."

AAP rmg/sc/arb/br

KEYWORD: SNOWBOARDERS NIGHTLEAD

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