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Rockslide kills three American mountaineers
2006-01-06 09:24:49
By Adam Ihucha, Arusha
Three American mountaineers were killed and an unknown number of tourists, with their porters and tour guides were seriously injured after a strong wind shook part of Mt Kilimanjaro, hurling down the slope a hail of stones, Police in Kilimanjaro Region confirmed late yesterday.
Briefing reporters, Kilimanjaro Regional Police Commander Dr. Mohamed Chicco, named the US tourists who met their death in the catastrophe as Christian Fergusson (27) from Colorado, Mary Lou (54) from California and Betty Orrick (58) from Tennessee .
According to Dr. Chicco, two tourists who were in serious condition after being hit by the rocks, have been taken to Nairobi, Kenya for further treatment.
The police chief identified the casualties who were rescued by Flying Doctors Services and flown to Nairobi as Paul Culha (45) and Caroline Culha whose age could not be determined immediately.
Narrating the ordeal, Dr. Chicco said that the dead and injured were in two groups that were hit early on Wednesday by a cascade of falling rocks and boulders dislodged by a strong gust of wind.
The incident happened as they hiked above the Arrow Glacier on the western part of the mountain at about 4,877m.
Earlier, Acting Kilimanjaro National Park Authority (KINAPA) Chief Warden Dr. James Wakibara was quoted by the international press as saying: ”A rapid change of weather forced several rocks to tumble and slide down the gradient.”
Dr. Wakibara who is also an ecologist at KINAPA further said that the rocks hit a group of tourists who were en route to the peak and three of them were killed.
’Five other people were seriously injured, among them one American and four Tanzanians,’ he said in a telephone interview from the base of the mountain where efforts to recover the bodies were still going on until yesterday evening.
’Several others, all Tanzanian porters, sustained various forms of minor injuries.’
Dr. Wakibara also confirmed that the two seriously injured had been evacuated by a flying doctor service and were being treated at a hospital in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi.
According to the Police boss, a local tour company, African Environments, had 11 clients on Mt Kilimanjaro at the time of the fatal accident.
Wesley Krause of African Environments also said that two of the dead Americans were part of his firm’s group. Zainab Ansell, of Zara Tanzanian Adventures, said that the company had 15 clients on the mountain, including the third deceased.
There are reports that the rockslide might have killed a bigger number of people than it is believed by the concerned authorities.
An estimated number of more than 70 people were at the particular area during the fatal accident.
This is the first incident of its kind on record, according to observers, to have happened on the Mountain.
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