The Guardian headlines the tragic death of a Chinese tourist who died from exposure after her group experienced extreme weather conditions while walking at Cradle Mountain National Park in Tasmania on Friday. According to the police, who confirmed the incident on Saturday, the other three members of the group of Chinese nationals are safe and in good health. The group had embarked on a hike in the national park on Friday when another group found them struggling with the cold weather conditions.
Rescue services were alerted around 3:30 PM on Friday, but the adverse weather conditions hindered access to the group until later in the afternoon. The rescue team, consisting of police search and rescue, the State Emergency Service (SES), the Parks and Wildlife Service, and Ambulance Tasmania, managed to reach the delicately situated group and aided them by staying with them overnight. On Saturday morning, the party was able to leave the area. Tasmania’s police inspector, Steve Jones, expressed his sadness over the incident and stressed how quickly the state’s weather can change, particularly in alpine areas.
Inspector Jones pointed out that the group was not adequately prepared for bushwalking, lacking appropriate equipment, such as a personal locator beacon, hindering their ability to call for help when needed. Nevertheless, their rescue was facilitated by another group of hikers who came to their assistance with their limited supplies. Notably, the extreme weather conditions also delayed the deployment of a helicopter for rescue and ground search and rescue teams reaching the group took time due to these conditions.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/sep/27/cradle-mountain-tourist-dies-after-walking-group-overwhelmed-by-extreme-weather-at-national-park
