Wellington, Dec 6 Three climbers are believed dead on New Zealand's tallest mountain after missing for five days, the police said on Friday.
"After reviewing the number of days the climbers have been missing ... we do not believe the men have survived," said Aoraki Area Commander Inspector Vicki Walker.
The police believed that the climbers, two from the United States and one from Canada, did not survive a fall from Mount Cook, the country's tallest mountain.
The search for the men commenced on Monday, following a report that they were overdue, but for most of the week, searchers have been hampered by dangerous weather, Walker said.
Due to a favourable break in the weather, a helicopter was deployed on Friday as part of the search for the three missing climbers. The helicopter crew discovered climbing-related items on the mountain, including a top, energy gels, a jacket and an ice axe, Xinhua news agency reported.
"While we cannot confirm that the objects belong to the men, we believe they do," Walker said, adding that the police have also discovered evidence of where the climbers had begun to traverse the slopes beneath Zurbriggen Ridge, including footprints.
The police have made phone calls to the men's families in the United States and Canada.
Although the police have started a process to formally suspend the active search, they remain poised to reactivate it if fresh information or credible reports of sightings, especially from the climbing community, are received, Walker said.
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