13 people who ventured out against warnings have been rescued after they were forced to call for help on Hobart’s kunanyi/Mt Wellington this afternoon.
The group embarked on a day bushwalk with minimal food, water and no equipment to spend the night.
Emergency services received the call from the group around 4:15pm on Monday afternoon, who had been walking on the mountain before the weather closed in.
Inspector Darren Latham said it was “incredibly frustrating” that police were forced to repeat the same warnings to bushwalkers, especially during a severe weather event.
“The Bureau of Meteorology, the SES and Tasmania Police have been issuing warnings to the community regarding the severe weather event since last week. This included several bushwalker weather alerts,” he said.
“Bushwalkers should always prepare for the worst. Our emergency service personnel often put their own lives at risk during rescues, so it is frustrating when the situation could have been avoided.”
During the initial rescue, five more ‘unprepared’ walkers were also found walking back down the mountain at the 1,100m level with minimal supplies and were assisted back to safety.
Police are urging all bushwalkers to follow essential safety tips, including being prepared with appropriate equipment, researching the trip’s difficulty level and informing others about the planned route and expected return time.
They also recommend carrying communication devices like a fully charged mobile phone and a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) and being mindful of the limitations of mobile phones.
Earlier: Tasmania Police have launched a rescue operation for a group of walkers who have reportedly become stranded on a remote section of kunanyi/Mount Wellington.
The City of Hobart has been called in to assist with the operation, providing mountain crews to help locate and rescue the group.
“We are unaware of the specific circumstances of the group of walkers at the moment and will provide more details when possible,” Council CEO Michael Stretton said.
“The focus of our crews is to see these people safely rescued.”
The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a severe weather warning for the area, with temperatures on the mountain dropping below -3°C and wind gusts reaching up to 109km/h.
“We would like to remind the community to take extra care in these dangerous conditions and to carefully consider your visit to the mountain before heading up,” Stretton said.
“We can’t guarantee that we’ll always be able to rescue stranded walkers, so visiting the mountain in these extreme weather conditions comes with high risk.”
Police had earlier issued a warning to bushwalkers, as snow as low as 400 metres was expected to fall during Monday afternoon and evening.
