Sydney, Nov 28 (IANS): After resuming search operations Nov 25 for the Indo-Canadian man who went missing in the Kosciuszko National Park in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW), police said they are having to contend with a large amount of snow.
The 30-member team had earlier abandoned search operations June 1 ahead of heavy winter snowfall. The 25-year-old had gone missing mid-May.
Monaro Local Area Command Superintendent Rod Smith said police and National Parks and Wildlife officers were contending with snow in the search area, The Canberra Times reported Wednesday.
“This week we had intended to conduct more of a ground search but our advice and our own observations from going up there was that there was still the same amount of snow as there was when we searched the first time,” Smith said.
“We are recommencing the search in a limited capacity, using some specialist services available to us,” Smith added.
“We’re going to give that a go this week and then will make a weekly assessment as to when the appropriate time to go back into another thorough ground search would be, but obviously that will be when the snow goes.”
Prabhdeep Srawn, 25, of Brampton in the Canadian province of Ontario, was last seen May 13 parking his rented vehicle at Charlotte Pass village and entering the Kosciuszko National Park.
Srawn's family has already spent over A$50,000 to bring a four-man Canadian search and rescue team to the area, assisted by local volunteers.
The family offered a reward to anyone who helped find Srawn but withdrew the offer later on the advice of authorities.
Srawn was reportedly trying to climb Mount Kosciuszko, the highest peak in mainland Australia, located within the park.
Srawn's sister Mandeep Srawn later found his laptop in the rented car revealing his likely route to Mount Townsend, north-west of Mount Kosciuszko.
Srawn was a master corporal in the Canadian Armed Forces, an Australia Defence Force reservist and had bushwalking experience.
He has been in Australia for two years and was due to leave for Canada in a few months.
According to his relatives, Srawn had substantial experience in hiking and had done several hikes before.