NSW: Searchers expand hunt for missing snowboarders

AAP General News (Australia)
08-14-1999
NSW: Searchers expand hunt for missing snowboarders

PERISHER VALLEY, NSW, Aug 14 AAP - The search for four missing snowboarders has been
expanded to cover 300 square kilometres of the Snowy Mountains.

The search area has been expanded from 120 square kilometres but continuing bad weather has
prevented rescue efforts on the higher areas, the police officer in charge of the search,
Inspector Martin Wookey, told journalists today.

Two teams of skiers were searching the Guthega and Smiggins areas of Kosciuszko National
Park.

"At this stage, the weather is too poor for us to deploy the over-snow vehicles such as the
skidoos," Inspector Wookey said.

A search team remained at Seamans Hut waiting for a break in the weather.

Inspector Wookey said he expected an improvement on Monday.

"The latest forecast indicates that tomorrow will still be adverse weather but weather
should improve after that," he said.

"Visibility is very poor, weather is adverse and winds are increasing."

Searchers intend to make use of any break in the extraordinary run of bad weather to
continue excavating a 300-metre snow slip which police fear may have buried the four Sydney
adventurers.

Sixteen members of the Victorian Volunteer Bush Rescue Association joined the search today
at the request of New South Wales Police.

Victorian police allowed a team of their own search and rescue specialists to remain on the
Snowy Mountains this morning despite a scare involving two skiers in the Victorian snowfields.
Those skiers were found just before midday.

AAP rmg/pc/wjf/de

KEYWORD: SNOWBOARDERS WOOKEY

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