Copyright abc
A walker has died after the group they were with became "overwhelmed" by weather conditions at Cradle Mountain National Park in Tasmania. Tasmania Police was called on Friday afternoon after another walking party found a group of Chinese nationals in difficulty and suffering from the cold. Inspector Steve Jones said the group in difficulty was not prepared for bushwalking "and found themselves overwhelmed by the extreme weather conditions". "Fortunately, another group of walkers found them and rendered valuable assistance with the limited supplies they had." Inspector Jones said the weather conditions meant the rescue helicopter could not be used, but a rescue party of police search and rescue officers, along with State Emergency Service, Parks and Wildlife Service and Ambulance Tasmania personnel, walked in late on Friday to find the group. The rescuers camped overnight with the group. One of the group, a woman, died. Inspector Jones said the other members of the group were helped to walk out on Saturday morning. "This is a tragic outcome for a group of visitors to Tasmania," he said. "Tasmania's weather can change very quickly, particularly in alpine areas. This means there are times such as this when we can't deploy the helicopter and it takes time for a ground search and rescue team to walk into remote areas." Police have again warned anyone walking in Tasmania's wilderness to ensure they carry sufficient warm clothing and food, as well as emergency communication devices. Bushwalkers are also urged to ensure their planned walk is within their abilities, to check weather warnings and to let someone know where they are walking and when they expect to return.
