Fall victim ignored barriers

A lunch with a view over Franz Josef Glacier ended with one of two young Swiss tourists falling 60m down a cliff on Thursday.

He is in Grey Base Hospital in Greymouth with a shattered pelvis and broken leg. His condition is described as serious but not critical.

Search and rescue co-ordinator constable Tony LeSueur, of Whataroa, said the men, aged 20 and 21, climbed over the safety barrier and up a cliff face to a shrubby area for lunch. When they decided to descend, the younger man slipped and fell on to his companion. They managed to stop themselves, ending up in a scoop in the rocks.

"The 21-year-old then decided he was going nowhere, but the 20-year-old decided to go for help. He only got about a metre then fell 60m from the smooth cliff face to the valley floor where he landed close to a group of tourists looking up at the glacier."

Mr LeSueur said the man was looked after by the tourists until local guides arrived. He was taken by ambulance to hospital.

The other man was stuck in the scoop for about seven hours as the location and a light rain made it difficult for rescuers to reach him.

A helicopter pilot using night vision gear winched the uninjured man off the cliff and down to the valley floor.

- NZPA