Australians Missing In Himalayan Avalanche

Newcastle Herald

Tuesday March 27, 2001

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AN Australian couple and the woman's young daughter were last night lost, feared dead, under an avalanche in the Himalayan nation of Nepal.

RAAF Squadron Leader Peter Szypula, his partner Flight Sergeant Michelle Hackett and her daughter Kathleen Hackett were all caught in the avalanche which occurred on Saturday, the Defence Department said.

They were trekking near Mount Annapurna with the girl, reportedly aged 9, when buried by 20 to 40 metres of snow and ice.

Also missing was an Israeli trekker, 22-year-old Hevil Noam.

At least one other Israeli survived the avalanche.

Searchers had so far found no trace of the four.

When asked whether there was any hope they could still be alive, President of the Army Alpine Association Lieutenant-Colonel Brian Agnew said: `The information I've received to date is that that's not the case'.

The three Australians were accompanying the association's Tenix Everest Expedition on an acclimatisation trek in preparation for a 12-member climbing team's bid to scale Mount Everest.

The army expedition planned to reach the summit of the world's tallest mountain by June.

Lt-Col Agnew said the avalanche occurred about three days trek from Pokhara, a tourist resort 200km west of the capital Kathmandu.

At around lunchtime on Saturday, the three had moved about a day ahead of the rest of the team to ensure that, even if slowed by the child, they ended the trek no later than the others. The avalanche came from some ice cliffs well above the track.

`They were caught in a massive avalanche,' an emotional Lt-Col Agnew said.

`There were three missing Australians and one Israeli.

`They were a photographer and his partner and her child.

`Two of them were serving in the air force.

`The remainder of the expedition is safe.'

Locals had told the association the avalanche was the most unusual event they had seen in that area at this time of year, Lt-Col Agnew said.

`They've never seen an avalanche like this before,' he said.

The Annapurna circuit is a popular trekking route undertaken by thousands of travellers every year.

Several of the expeditioners were being accompanied by family members on the acclimatisation sector, Lt-Col Agnew said.

`(It's) normally just a straightforward simple trek activity in an area of Nepal,' he said.

The two RAAF personnel were posted to RAAF Base Richmond, near Sydney.