3 American and Canadian climbers go missing on New Zealand’s highest peak [Video]

Three mountain climbers from the U.S. and Canada are missing after they failed to return from a planned ascent of New Zealand’s highest peak, Aoraki, authorities said Tuesday, and rescue teams looking for them have found equipment belonging to the trio.

The Americans – Kurt Blair, 56, from Colorado and Carlos Romero, 50, of California – are certified alpine guides, according to the website of the American Mountain Guides Association. A statement by New Zealand’s police did not name the Canadian climber, citing the need to notify his family.

In a social media post, Silverton Avalanche School in Colorado said it had been notified by authorities in New Zealand that the climbers “appear to have taken a fatal fall from high upon the peak.”

“It is with a heavy heart that we share that our friend and colleague Kurt Blair …