Tragedy on Mount Bongong: Two Hikers, Believed to be Overseas Visitors, Found Dead in Freezing Conditions
- Two women, thought to be in their 20s or 30s, were discovered side by side on a remote mountainside in Victoria’s high country
- The pair, reportedly medical doctors, were found huddled together in a desperate bid to survive extreme weather conditions, but ultimately succumbed to hypothermia
- Police identified the women, believed to be visitors to Australia, after a grueling recovery operation in treacherous weather conditions
In a shocking and tragic incident, two women were found dead on Mount Bongong in Victoria’s high country, with police believing they were visitors to Australia. The women, thought to be in their 20s or 30s, were discovered side by side on an exposed expanse of rock and snow near Cleve Cole Hut on Friday.
Keith Jackson, from the Mt Bongong Mountaineering club, said his fellow club members stumbled upon the women’s hiking gear while heading back to their car after a day on the mountain. “They are both medical doctors, so they knew the deceased were indeed deceased,” he told 7NEWS.
The women were found huddled together in an effort to survive extreme weather conditions, but ultimately succumbed to hypothermia. “The wind is such that it will literally blow you over,” Jackson said. “It’s a pretty brutal environment, if things go wrong it will kill you.”
Police launched a recovery operation, hiking over 1700 metres to the scene, where they faced treacherous weather conditions, including blizzards and temperatures as low as minus 2.8 degrees. Inspector Paul Hargreaves said the bodies might have been at the location for two to three days before being discovered.
“The weather in the last two to three days has been down as low as minus 2.8 degrees, winds up around 83km an hour and snow falling,” he told reporters on Saturday. “The (tracks) are arduous to get to, and if you do not have the right conditions and certainly the right equipment, it becomes very dangerous.”
The women’s bodies were successfully recovered from the isolated area by helicopter on Saturday morning. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has been contacted for comment. The deaths are not considered suspicious, with police believing the women had intended to hike and camp in the area.