British hiker found dead a week after she went missing in New Zealand

New Zealand authorities have found the body of the British hiker, Stephanie Simpson, on February 14 after nearly a week she went missing in Mount Aspiring National Park. Her body was reportedly found in the Pyke Creek area where her backpack and boots were located earlier. Police Sgt Mark Kirkwood said in a statement that the search had been significant challenges due to rugged terrain. However, he did not indicate if there was anything suspicious about the female hiker's death. 

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The 32-year-old hiker reportedly went hiking in the National Park in New Zealand last weekend and was then reported missing on February 10 after failing to arrive at an appointment. Helicopters were used to search for Simspon over the hilly region in Mount Aspiring while her family was desperate for any information. According to international reports, Simpson's brother, Sam Hazelton had earlier told an media outlet in New Zealand that his sister was an experienced hiker and was very fit. According to Hazelton, Simpson had also taken part in triathlons and running races. 

“She’s an extremely determined, strong-willed person,” Hazelton said. 

Mount Aspiring National Park is located in South Island and has been known for its rugged remoteness and striking river valleys. Earlier, the police authorities had narrowed down their search to Pyke Creek area and used two dog teams along with cliff and canyon rescue teams to locate Simpson's body. 

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Heart-throbbing rescue of hiker 

While Simpson died in the mountainous regions with no rescue teams aware of the cause of death, a heart-throbbing rescue took place in California on January 25 when an elderly women hiker fell off the track and paramedics saved her life. According to international reports, the 69-year-old woman was hiking at Rubio Canyon which is near to Pasadena in the afternoon, when she fell. 

Paramedics along with first responders arrived at the scene and managed to lower one of the emergency service workers down through a harness. The woman was hanging for nearly 10 minutes by then. She was clinging to a few tree roots that were jutting out of the cliff face, and just 100 feet away from falling off to the bottom when she rescued by the emergency worker in the nick of time.

She was then lifted up and carried back to safety, reunited with her partner, before she and her partner were led on foot to a clearing. The lady even posed with the emergency workers for some photos after she was rescued.

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(With AP inputs)