GPS leads man off cliff
From: The Daily Telegraph (Australia)
A man who died in a New Year's Eve cliff fall after becoming lost in the Kanangra-Boyd National Park was believed to be following directions provided by a GPS satellite navigation device when he went over the edge.
The 31-year-old Toukley man had been searching for a walking track in the national park, near Oberon in the state's Central West, when he fell.
Inspector Steve Hall from Bathurst police said yesterday the group was believed to have been using the GPS device but it was unclear who had been carrying it at the time of the accident.
He said the vegetation surrounding the cliff face may have also been a contributing factor.
"If you look at the area where he went over there's a tree that has grown up the side of the cliff and you could probably look at it in the dark and think it was growing from the ground," Insp Hall said.
One of the dead man's two friends had called emergency services on her mobile phone about 11.20pm, saying he had fallen.
The group had set off from Echo Point at 7am on Saturday morning on an abseiling and caving trip.
SES volunteers told The Daily Telegraph yesterday the group had been canyoning in Danae Canyon, known as having a high difficulty rate, but had problems getting back when flash floods ran through the area.
The group was believed to have camped in the canyon overnight.
They attempted to walk out on Sunday but lost their bearings.
The accident sparked a large-scale rescue operation, with many local SES volunteers already in the area trying to rescue another man who had broken his foot at the bottom of the Kowmung River, on the opposite side of the Kanangra Range.
Rescuers found the man's canyoning partners about 3.50am on Monday.
The Toukley woman and Newtown man, both 38, were treated for shock and hypothermia.
Thick fog delayed the search for the body. Police rescue officers abseiled down the cliff and retrieved the body at 7.30pm on Monday.
A man who died in a New Year's Eve cliff fall after becoming lost in the Kanangra-Boyd National Park was believed to be following directions provided by a GPS satellite navigation device when he went over the edge.
The 31-year-old Toukley man had been searching for a walking track in the national park, near Oberon in the state's Central West, when he fell.
Inspector Steve Hall from Bathurst police said yesterday the group was believed to have been using the GPS device but it was unclear who had been carrying it at the time of the accident.
He said the vegetation surrounding the cliff face may have also been a contributing factor.
"If you look at the area where he went over there's a tree that has grown up the side of the cliff and you could probably look at it in the dark and think it was growing from the ground," Insp Hall said.
One of the dead man's two friends had called emergency services on her mobile phone about 11.20pm, saying he had fallen.
The group had set off from Echo Point at 7am on Saturday morning on an abseiling and caving trip.
SES volunteers told The Daily Telegraph yesterday the group had been canyoning in Danae Canyon, known as having a high difficulty rate, but had problems getting back when flash floods ran through the area.
The group was believed to have camped in the canyon overnight.
They attempted to walk out on Sunday but lost their bearings.
The accident sparked a large-scale rescue operation, with many local SES volunteers already in the area trying to rescue another man who had broken his foot at the bottom of the Kowmung River, on the opposite side of the Kanangra Range.
Rescuers found the man's canyoning partners about 3.50am on Monday.
The Toukley woman and Newtown man, both 38, were treated for shock and hypothermia.
Thick fog delayed the search for the body. Police rescue officers abseiled down the cliff and retrieved the body at 7.30pm on Monday.
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