Four dead, three missing from church expedition

FOUR trekkers were reported dead and another three are still missing in an expedition in Kabwum to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Lutheran Missionary.
Among the dead was a pastor.
He and two others are believed to have fallen ill in the cold and died.
The seven were among 20 men from Pindiu who attempted to trek from Finschhafen to Indagen when they encountered difficulties in the cold weather.
They then had to back trek and three others went missing on Thursday.
The church’s main celebration was to be held today in Indagen, Komba Local Level Government area of Kabwum.
At least 20 people were seen trekking the hill to Indagen.
Former Morobe Governor Luther Wenge said he was in Indagen when he heard the news of the pastor’s death and alerted Manolos Aviation Ltd on late Thursday afternoon.
Chief pilot Capt Jürgen Ruh, after getting authorisation for the flight on Friday morning, attempted a Search and Rescue (S&R) along the trek route but was unsuccessful due to heavy cloud cover.
“Word I got is that about 20 men from Pindiu were trekking from Nomaneneng to Indagen, when the pastor died and two other men fell sick because of the cold. The two were too weak to continue,” he said.
“I covered the trekking route to find them, but I couldn’t get there. I went to Ogeranang below the cloud but couldn’t continue because the mountains were also blanketed by clouds.
“I then flew to the coast at 13,000ft, looked back but visibility was still bad, and aborted the S&R,” he added.
Ruth said he launched another S&R on Saturday and spotted the pastor’s body on Mt Saruwaget and flew to Wagezaring Village in Finschhafen.
“I also received reports of three more deaths and people missing on Sunday morning while dropping off Governor-General Sir Bob Dadae in Indagen,” he said.
“The problem in the hills is that there is no proper shelter, and it gets cold whenever it rains.
“Previously we had retrieved a trekker in the same area, and I recommended that proper shelter be constructed along the trek so that people can take shelter to rest and keep warm.
“People should be prepared and fit before they go trekking,” Ruh said.
He said the three other bodies could not be retrieved as there were people who were lost in the Saruwaget Range and needed urgent help for food and warm clothing.