ob体育接口

ob体育接口 ob体育接口
Opinion
Live now
Start time
Playing for
End time
Listen live
Up next
ob体育接口

Emily Murphy: Sombre mood and pouring rain at Fox Glacier

Author
Emily Murphy ,
Publish Date
Wed, 25 Nov 2015, 9:49am
Inspector Canning of the NZ Police at Fox Glacier (Emily Murphy)
Inspector Canning of the NZ Police at Fox Glacier (Emily Murphy)

Emily Murphy: Sombre mood and pouring rain at Fox Glacier

Author
Emily Murphy ,
Publish Date
Wed, 25 Nov 2015, 9:49am

In rainy and cloudy conditions, a media pack meets daily outside the emergency centre, just before 9am.

鈥淯nfortunately, due to the weather鈥︹ or words along those lines usually form the beginning of a briefing by Inspector John Canning, who is leading the operation to recover the seven bodies from the wreckage of Saturday's horror helicopter crash .

Two hours later he and other members of his team can be spotted at a local coffee shop.

It begins to pour down鈥he sound of rain drops are heavy on the caf茅 roof.

A waitress, with a thick accent, moved to the township just two weeks ago.

She comments on the lack of customers coming through the door.

鈥淯sually we are really busy here, but for two days after the accident, there was just no-one鈥.

Outside there鈥檚 little to see.

Thick grey cloud covers the glacier from site.

A hotel owner comments that the view is spectacular on a sunny day鈥ut living beside a mountainous range does make for strange weather patterns.

Inside the local information centre for tourists, customers who had booked in advance for tours of the ice ask for their money back.

It鈥檚 not yet known when flights will resume.

It鈥檚 a close-knit town, and the mood is noticeably sombre . Even for those who didn鈥檛 know 28-year-old Mitchell Gameron, the tragedy has come as a shock.

One local woman, who did not wish to be named, was worried about the consequences for tourism on the west coast.

鈥淭his is people鈥檚 summer businesses, this is their livelihoods鈥︹

She pleaded for the tragedy to be given some perspective.

鈥淭hese things happen. Accidents happen鈥t鈥檚 not a common occurrence at all鈥.

It鈥檚 estimated the total number of glacier flights sits around 60,000 per year.

Apart from the 2010 skydiving plane accident, which killed nine people, there have been relatively few major accidents for some years.

Tourists have mixed reactions to the crash.

U.K tourist Lauren Barker, who is cycling through Fox Glacier with her partner, mentioned the news had come as a shock.

The pair had met a couple who were on their honeymoon earlier in their travels, and she knew the pair of them had planned to take a helicopter tour that same day.

She feared they were on board the aircraft, and felt the tragedy had hit to close to home.

鈥淚t just feels like a lot of things are going wrong at the moment鈥aris attacks and now this鈥.

鈥淚t all just feels quite gloomy鈥.

Take your Radio, Podcasts and Music with you