Stranded men rescued

Press, 15 July 1982, Page 6

Stranded men rescued

PA Dunedin Three Dunedin men were finally rescued by helicopter yesterday afternoon after being stranded for 24 hours by a snowstorm in the Lammermoor Ranges, inland from the Taieri Plain.

The rescue pilot, Mr Peter Robb, said that his aircraft’s bubble iced up in the temperature of —l5 deg. and he had to fly sideways looking out the window.

The stranded men had spent a cold night in the mountains after their vehicle became bogged down late on Tuesday afternoon. The men are Messrs Douglas Stuart, Jay Garden, and Christopher Dreaver, who are members of a Ministry of Works and Development hydro survey team.

The men were in constant radio contact with their rescue party, but their food had run out when they were eventually picked up by the helicopter. An attempt to rescue the men on Tuesday failed when a four-wheel-drive vehicle could not reach them. Mr Robb made two attempts to reach the trapped

men yesterday morning, but severe snowstorms and limited visibility prevented him coming closer than about I.skm to the stranded men.