Woman's Body Found By Team Searching For Missing Tramper
New Zealand Police National News Release
9:26am 8 October 2008
http://www.police.govt.nz/news/release.html?id=4385

The body of a woman has been found by a search and rescue team looking for a missing tramper.

The 56-year-old woman had been on an overnight tramp with her 17-year-old daughter and they were travelling back down yesterday.

About 12.30pm as they attempted to cross the Kaupokonui Stream at an area known as Dawson Falls, the older woman was swept away. The daughter raised the alarm using her cell phone.

Police immediately launched a search and rescue operation and three teams were sent to the area.

Around 6pm one team located the body downstream from where the woman went missing.

The weather conditions had been too severe for an air search to be carried out. When a window of opportunity in the weather presented itself later in the evening an attempt was made by a helicopter to recover the body. Due to darkness and worsening weather conditions this attempt was unsuccessful. The three land search and rescue teams with the body are now being joined by seven other personnel who will walk the woman's body out. This will cover a distance of approximately 2km over difficult terrain and is expected to take at least a couple of hours.

Immediate family members have been informed and victim support has been put in place. Formal identification will not take place until tomorrow and no name will be released until then. We would ask that you respect the family's privacy until this time.

ENDS

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