Lead
Two New Zealand men who were stranded on the Solomon Islands' highest mountain have been rescued after being airlifted out of a steep ravine on Tuesday morning, according to ABC Australia. Keanu Isaksson, 25, and Luca Zylstra, 19, had been trapped for six days on Mount Popomanaseu, a remote volcanic peak on the island of Guadalcanal.
Coverage Comparison
ABC Australia reported the rescue in two separate articles. The first, published while the men were still stranded, described them as having been trapped for five days. The second, reporting the successful rescue, said they had been trapped for six days. Both accounts agree on the key details: the men had summitted with the aid of guides from a local tribe, but the guides could not take them back down because the descent path crossed into a different tribal area. Torrential rain made the steep terrain impossible to traverse, forcing the men to camp on a rock overlooking a waterfall.
Key Claims
- Two New Zealand men, Keanu Isaksson and Luca Zylstra, were stranded on Mount Popomanaseu, the Solomon Islands' highest mountain, and were airlifted out of a steep ravine on Tuesday morning.
- The men had been trapped for six days after torrential rain made the steep terrain impossible to traverse.
- The men had summitted with the aid of guides from a local tribe, but those guides could not take the men back down because the descent path crossed into a different tribal area.
- The rescue helicopter dropped food and a radio to the men, who were then able to clear space for a cargo net to be lowered.
- The men were able to climb the net and get flown back to Honiara.
- The men had enough food to last them six more days if they rationed.
- New Zealand police had been informed and were coordinating a response.
- Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade did not respond to the ABC's request for comment.
Ms Holl told the ABC that torrential rain had made the ground "impossible" to traverse. "The rocks are falling off of the ravine because of the extremely wet nature of the ground," she said. "And the river has risen and cut them off from any way of retreating across a river out of there."
Attempts to reach the pair on foot had also been unsuccessful, with one search party forced to turn back because of heavy rain while another had yet to return. The terrain was also too difficult for the men to be winched out by helicopter.
In the rescue report, Ms Holl said a clear window of weather allowed a rescue helicopter to reach the pair, who were located 1,828 metres up Mount Popomanaseu. The helicopter dropped food and a radio to the men, who were then able to clear space for a cargo net to be lowered. "They instructed the boys to fell some trees to create some space for the helicopter," she said. "The boys had their own equipment with knives that could do the tree work and they were able to climb the net and get flown back to Honiara."
Ms Holl said she was able to speak with the two men, describing them as both nonchalant and emotional. "My son and Luca have done lots of adventures together and are very close, and they would have taken very good care of each other," she said. "I'm sure they've got quite a bit of footage and quite a few stories to tell."
Mr Isaksson and Mr Zylstra travelled to Solomon Islands in search of a remote climbing adventure and as preparation for an upcoming trip to the Amazon. Mount Popomanaseu is a 2,335-metre mountain, taller than mainland Australia's tallest peak, Mount Kosciuszko, which stands at 2,228 metres. Reaching the summit is a rugged multi-day expedition that requires local guides and custom clearances from local tribes.