TWO TRAMPERS FOUND

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 70, Issue 107, 18 February 1950, Page 4

TWO TRAMPERS FOUND

RATIONS ALMOST exhausted BOTH MEN UNHARMED (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Feb. 17. Two Auckland University students who became lost in the ranges to the east of Desert Road just over a week ago were found to-day. The students are Russell Aitken and Brian Timmings. The search and rescue centre attached to Flying Control, Wellington, were advised by the Wanganui police to-night that two or three members of the successful search party had come out of the bush to report that the two students were well. The remainder of the search party and the two trampers were to remain in the bush tb-night and come out by 9 a.m. to-morrow. The two trampers, who were several days overdue on a trip from National Park to Rangitaiki, were, found by a search party of five fellowstudents this afternoon. They had had enough rations for several days, and had almost exhausted them. Both students were reported to be fit and well when found. They were met near a stream and probably ..would have found their own way out. , Soon after they were found the party signalled an aircraft which had been searching and the aircraft radioed the news to the Waiouru military camp. . ’ A large emergency camp had been set up at Turangi in preparation for an extensive search to-morrow. This was disbanded to-night. Army and police parties which had been searching were still in the bush to-night.