2 Antarctic Hikers Take a Shortcut, Die in a Crevasse
Two Americans hiking in Antarctica were killed Sunday when they fell 70 feet into a crevasse two miles north of America’s main base at McMurdo Station, the National Science Foundation reported today.
Killed were Matthew M. Kaz, 25, of San Carlos, Calif., a carpenter’s helper, and John E. Smith, 44, of Portland, Ore., a carpenter.
The foundation, the government agency that manages the nation’s Antarctic research, said Kaz and Smith were returning with Thomas J. Powell, 45, of Krakow, Wis., from Castle Rock, a huge rock outcrop about three miles from McMurdo.
The foundation said the men had deviated from the flagged route to take a shortcut to nearby Scott Base, a New Zealand station. Powell sought help at McMurdo when his companions fell into the crevasse.
A search and rescue team brought the two men unconscious to the surface. They were pronounced dead at McMurdo
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