14 May 2007
The Swiss tramper who has been missing on Mount Arthur since Thursday has been rescued after a Royal New Zealand Air Force Iroquois helicopter crewman sighted him during a search operation this morning.
Sergeant Paul Hunter spotted 24-year-old Sandro Piccapietra at 10.45am as the helicopter was transporting volunteer search and rescue personnel into the area.
The Iroquois has been assisting the police-led operation since 7.15 this morning.
The helicopter and crew will continue flying this afternoon to transport search volunteers back to Motueka.
ENDS
For further information please contact James Heffield, Defence Public Relations, on 04 496 0286 or 021 676 338.
Note: The tramper is Swiss, and not Swedish as stated in an earlier NZDF release.