New Zealand police find equipment belonging to missing US and Canadian climbers By Reuters

SYDNEY (Reuters) – Rescue teams searching for three missing climbers on New Zealand’s highest mountain have found equipment belonging to the trio, police said on Tuesday, as a second day of searches was disrupted due to bad weather.

US citizens Kurt Blair, 56, and Carlos Romero, 50, and a Canadian flew by helicopter on Saturday to a camp on Mount Cook, or Aoraki, with plans to climb the 3,724-meter-high mountain.

The three men failed to show up for their return flight Monday morning, sparking the search and rescue operation.

Police have withheld information about the Canadian citizen until authorities can contact his family.

A search on Monday turned up several climbing-related items that police believe belonged to the trio. Bad weather will likely force rescue workers to postpone another search until Thursday, police said.

Police are working with the U.S. and Canadian embassies to provide information and support to the families of the three men.

Over the last century, dozens of climbers have died on Mount Cook, where rock falls are common and avalanches occur frequently at higher elevations. Local media reported in 2014 that 78 people had died since 1907.

Numerous other people died in the surrounding national park, which is known for its mountains and glaciers.