Sydney Dec 31 A man has died while hiking in the southeast Australian island state of Tasmania, marking the third death of a hiker in the state in one week.
Tasmania Police said in a statement on Tuesday that a man, aged in his 30s, from the mainland state of, Victoria, died after falling from a height while hiking in the Southwest National Park on Monday.
The man fell while attempting to summit the 1,225 metre-high Federation Peak at about 11 a.m. local time on Monday, Tasmania Police Inspector Colin Riley told reporters on Tuesday.
His two female companions raised the alarm, and a search and rescue operation was launched on Monday afternoon before being suspended overnight. Aerial and ground crews resumed the search on Tuesday, and the man's body was located at 9 a.m. local time, reports Xinhua news agency.
"The deceased man was then retrieved by the helicopter. The two other walkers have also been airlifted out," Tasmania Police said.
It was the third death of a hiker in Tasmania over the holiday period.
A bushwalker in his 60s was found dead in Cradle Mountain National Park in northwestern Tasmania on Christmas Day, and the body of a 54-year-old was found by a fellow hiker in the Southwest National Park on Saturday.
Police believed both deaths were caused by a medical episode.
Another two men aged in their 20s were rescued on Christmas Eve after encountering trouble while hiking near Federation Peak on December 23.
Riley said on Tuesday that the Eastern Arthur Range Traverse, which includes Federation Peak, was one of Tasmania's most challenging walks.
"It is very dangerous, it is steep, and it's slippery, and the weather conditions can change extremely rapidly," he said.
In the mainland state of New South Wales, a search for a hiker missing in the Kosciuszko National Park, over 350 km southwest of Sydney, has entered its fifth day.
The search for 23-year-old Hadi Nazari from Melbourne began when he failed to meet with friends as planned at a campground in the national park on December 26.
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